We will work with you to help you gain the skills that employers want, unfortunately though this is not available in every local authority so please contact your local office for details of what help is available in your area. The help we can offer you will be dependent on what you need but our staff are experienced in a wide range of employability support including helping you to tell an employer about any criminal conviction you may have and what you should be telling an employer. Some convictions are spent after a certain period of time and so you may not need to tell an employer about any or all of your convictions. We also have a number of training courses, for example we can help you get the CSCS card that you need if you want to work on a building site and we have a lot of other training courses that will help you. In some of our offices we also do a lot of volunteering where you can get practical skills and qualifications that employers value and will give you a big advantage when looking for a job.
Please note, however, that Apex Scotland is not a recruitment agency and cannot offer employment opportunities for individuals. Please contact your local office to find out how they can help you.
Yes! We are an SQA approved centre for the CSCS labourer’s card and we have experienced staff who are skilled at training everyone to be able to get this valuable card. We can also help you to get funding to pay for the training and the card through an Individual Learning Account
Requirements to obtain a CSCS card changed on the 1st July. The new card, called Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment is solely for those wishing to work in labouring positions on a construction site. This award is worth 4 SQCF points through the SQA.
Trainees will be invited to take a short questionnaire so that the trainer can assess how much training the individual requires – we understand that this will vary from person to person. Generally, if someone is experienced, one day is sufficient. Once the training is complete, trainees complete an online pre-test at the Apex training venue. Only when the trainee has passed this online test do they receive a reference number in order to book the live CSCS test in order to achieve their card. You cannot sit a CSCS test without having done a pre-test. Please contact your nearest local office to find out more.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is the specific piece of legislation affecting ex offenders’ employment opportunities. Under certain circumstances it enables them to ‘wipe the slate clean’ of their criminal record once a period of time has lapsed from the date of conviction. Provided they have not been reconvicted for another offence, their conviction is said to become spent and for the purpose of employment is can be treated as though it never existed. This means that if the ex-offender is asked on an application form, or at an interview, if they have a criminal record they are entitled to answer “no”. It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against the ex-offender on grounds of their spent conviction.
The Act only covers custodial sentences up to two and a half years. Custodial sentences of a longer period must be declared where asked for.
For certain jobs though, you may need to tell an employer about all your previous convictions regardless of whether these are spent or not. These are usually for jobs working with children or vulnerable groups in order to protect them. This is something else we can advise you on.
The Act is currently undergoing a review in Scotland and this information may change shortly. Please contact your local Apex office if you want to know more.
Because of funding restrictions that are imposed by our funders in some areas, unfortunately we cannot always take self referrals. It is also true that, because of these funding restrictions, we are limited as to which services can be offered in some areas. To find out which services are available in your area, please contact your local office.
We have been funded by Poppy Scotland to provide any ex member of the armed forces who has a criminal conviction(s) regardless of whether they gained this whilst still in the service or after they left. We will advise you on what you should be disclosing, which offences are spent and about the types of jobs or occupations that you are likely to get if you have certain offences. For example, if you have had a recent qualification for drink driving, it is unlikely that you will get a job as a taxi driver. We can also help you prepare for discussing your offences and the circumstances behind the offences at an interview.
We know that there is a lot of excellent employability support from agencies working exclusively with veterans and so our support would only be regarding your criminal conviction but we can also help you get other support if this is what you need.