The Working with Scotland’s Communities 2018 report finds that CLD practice is still thriving while highlighting workforce challenges, including unmet demand in communities for CLD skills.
The CLD Standards Council and Education Scotland commissioned Rocket Science to carry out research into the CLD workforce in Scotland through a CLD Workforce Survey during 2018.
The final report from this research – Working with Scotland’s Communities 2018 is now available.
Read the summary or full report
The report provides the most-up-to date analysis available of the CLD workforce, and highlights:
- The reach of the CLD workforce as part of both the 3rd and public sectors, with an estimated 21,000 (full and part-time) paid practitioners in CLD roles across Scotland.
- That a large majority of CLD practitioners are employed in the 3rd sector, the number of CLD practitioners employed by local authorities (3,100) has been declining, and large numbers of volunteers play an essential role in CLD.
- A widely-shared perception that there is a persistent gap between CLD resources and the needs of communities.
- Evidence of high levels of passion and commitment amongst CLD practitioners but also that stress levels are high for many.
- Evidence of an emerging skills gap, with staff development needs that many employers are not confident of meeting.
- An aging workforce, 25% of whom intend to leave in the next 2 to 5 years, suggesting that more needs to be done to support young people’s routes into the CLD workforce
- Issues over limited ethnic diversity and a gender pay gap.