Scotland’s first national Employability Day will take place on September 10, bringing employability partners together to highlight the breadth of support available to people looking for work.
The theme ‘Changing Lives Together’, emphasises the partnership approach to delivering employability support and Scottish Employability Day 2026 aims to encourage people who may not already be engaged with services, to find out what help is available.
Showcasing the employability support on offer around the country, a number of activities are taking place in the run up to and after the actual day. From skills sessions and CV workshops to employer insight events, as well as Jobs and Careers Fairs in collaboration with employers who have live vacancies, there is something for everyone.
Susie Donkin, Employability Partnership Manager at the Improvement Service, said:
“Scotland's first national Employability Day is about making sure more people know that support is available locally. And it’s not just about applying for jobs; it’s about all the other support that is required before people even consider looking for work.
“Employability Services can support with things like getting into work, training, education, or volunteering. They can often support access to other services such as health, childcare, housing, careers advice and more.
“Everyone is working together to make sure that services work for people - it’s the third sector, it’s councils, it’s DWP, Skills Development Scotland - which is why the theme ‘Changing Lives Together’ is so fitting.
“Everyone was very supportive of a Scottish Employability Day and we’re building on good practice – national good practice – to bring it more place-based and local.
“People with lived experience have also played a role in shaping the campaign, helping partners develop messaging from the perspective of people who use employability services.
“Having their input to some of our messaging and to some of the things that we’ve developed has been brilliant, seeing it from their perspective.”
The Employability Communications Working Group, chaired by the Improvement Service, consists of representatives from across, local authorities, Scottish Government, third and private sector employability organisations, lived experience panel members, the Department for Work and Pensions and Skills Development Scotland.
Find out more about local employability support, including local website information and key contact details.