In Edinburgh, and the rest of Scotland, significant numbers of people are experiencing in-work poverty, and face a range of barriers to career progression. There is increasing policy attention in Scotland on ways to support progression, as part of the wider fair work agenda, but less agreement and limited evidence on what actually works.

L&W’s new report shares findings from the first phase of a programme of work funded by the Robertson Trust and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College. This builds the evidence base on what works to best support low-income workers to progress into better jobs, and to adapt and test proven in-work progression models in Scotland. During the autumn the project will bring together low-income workers, employers, and providers to co-design a pilot in-work support programme in Edinburgh to help people progress at work.

The report highlights that development and implementation of a new in-work progression programme will come with very real challenges. However, meeting these challenges could help to drive progress towards fairer work and a reduction in poverty in Scotland.

Get involved

We welcome approaches from employers and providers in health and social care in Scotland – and we’d love to hear about successful examples of progression in health and social care from across the UK too.

Contact the project team

13 March 2026

UK’s training and skills ‘tick-box culture’ puts at risk job mobility and future growth, new report warns

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13 March 2026

Training and skills needs: Trends and challenges in UK growth sectors

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17 February 2026

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24 December 2025

Falling short: Understanding further falls in employer training

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22 December 2025

From confusion to clarity: rethinking England’s 670 occupational standards

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27 November 2025

Responding to the full year apprenticeships data release

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18 November 2025

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7 November 2025

No train no gain

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7 November 2025

Working class people paid more when they get training from their employer

Experts are calling on the Government to do more to get employers investing in training, as research reveals it’s a “boon for people’s pay and careers” – particularly for working class people.

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