Employability
Highland Employability Partnership (HEP)
Highland Employability Partnership (HEP)
Com-pàirteachas so-fhastachd na Gàidhealtachd
No One Left Behind (NOLB) aims to improve Scotland's employability system by encouraging collaboration among partners and making changes to how services are designed, delivered, and funded. It also focuses on increasing local control to make the system more flexible, responsive, and centred on people's needs.
In Highland, this is done through the Highland Employability Partnership (HEP) and 3 sub-Highland Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs), operating under the Work, Life, Highland brand name. The 3 sub-Highland LEPs are in North Highland, West Highland and the Inner Moray Firth.
HEP brings together public, private and third sector organisations supporting individuals on their journey towards, into and within employment. The aim is to raise as many Highland residents as possible out of poverty through sustainable and fair work, assisting both individuals and employers across the Highlands in unlocking their work potential.
Membership of the HEP is as follows:
- Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)
- Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
- Highland Council
- Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE)
- Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI)
- NHS Highland
- Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
- University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)
HEP 3-year Strategic Plan
The HEP has produced a 3-year Strategic Plan, which presents a strategic outline of the proposed employability priorities in Highland from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028.
The strategic plan also contains the HEP Annual Operational Plan 2025/26 as Annex 1 and the HEP Annual Investment Plan 2025/26 as Annex 2.