CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 30TH JULY 2020

Craftskills Scotland team return

Our training assessors will return to work on Wednesday 1st July.
The team from Craftskills Scotland will return to work on Wednesday 1st July having been on furlough for the last 12 weeks. The team will initially be calling around to make appointments to either visit any apprentices or arrange to carry out assessments via video conferencing, whichever format suits the individual and the business.

In anticipation of being able to travel to shops and businesses, subject to guidance, from phase 3 on the 9th of July (please refer to the guide below), the team will be calling round to make appointments.

To enable us to deliver a quality qualification we must be able to assess the trainees in the workplace.

However, due to ongoing restrictions on travel, it may be in some cases that remote assessments using video conferencing or facetime calls may be more practical. Your assessor will discuss this when they call to make appointments.

Skills Development Scotland have indicated that all current contract compliance conditions are to be met i.e. that employers, trainees, and training providers must sign all paperwork for it to be valid.

As you can imagine this provides the team at Craftskills Scotland with difficulties in delivering the many qualifications. In the cases of remote assessments, it may be possible for the signatures to be replaced by simple confirmation e-mails from the candidate and their employer.

Things will need to change from the way they were before. However, we are confident that we can find ways to suit all those involved.

The safety of our apprentices, other staff, assessors and employers is our first priority!
In discussion with all employers, staff and apprentices we will agree the protocol required for each business.

· What PPE would Craftskills Scotland staff require to ensure safe visits?
· Which employers will permit access?
What remote assessments could be possible? What format?
· How engaged would trainees and employers be in remote assessments?
· How will social distancing affect face to face assessments?
· How do we safely get all the signatures required on the documentation?

A massive thanks to our Modern Apprentices who are working tirelessly to ensure that fresh produce is available for their customers.

The effort from our butchers, counter assistants, production processors, delivery drivers and employers has been amazing!
Keep up the good work and our team look forward to seeing you all soon!!

If you have any questions on the above, please e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]

This will be a new normal for all of us and will inevitably lead to a settling in period. If you have a trainee that you would like to start on an apprenticeship course, then please get in touch with Bruce or myself on the details above.

New dates for easing lockdown – a summary

The First Minister has announced a range of dates over the next fortnight for the further unwinding of restrictions. Below is a summary of the headline points. I know some of you circulate these updates to your wider staff teams, so I have included changes related to personal activity, as well as changes relevant to your businesses.
Please note, as always, these are indicative dates. They may change and are provided at this stage to help with planning. Implementation is still to be confirmed before each date and changes are conditional on continued progress against the virus. Please also note, there will be specific, detailed guidance for each activity referred to below.

From Monday 29 June:-

• Indoor, non-essential, non-office workplaces can re-open subject to guidance (e.g. warehousing, lab & research facilities)
• Street access retail can open (however, non-essential retail in shopping malls/centres will remain closed)
• Outdoor markets can open, subject to guidance
• Outdoor sports areas/playgrounds/public gardens can open

From Friday 3 July

• Travel beyond your local area for leisure allowed
• Self-catering accommodation (without shared facilities) to open and second homes accessible

From Monday 6 July

• Outdoor areas of hospitality (e.g. pubs & restaurants) can open, subject to physical distancing measures.

From Friday 10 July

• Extended groups can meet outdoors, subject to distancing
• Up to three households can meet together indoors, subject to distancing

From Monday 13 July

• Outdoor contact sports for under 18's can start
• Dental practices can re-open for limited procedures
• Non-essential retail within shopping centres/malls can re-open

From Wednesday 15 July

• Indoor areas of hospitality can re-open, subject to physical distancing
• Childcare providers (nurseries) can re-open
• All accommodation providers (e.g. hotels, B&B's, camping & caravan parks) can re-open
• Hairdressers can re-open
• Museums, cinemas, galleries etc can re-open

What will happen to the rest of Phase 3?

At the three-weekly review scheduled for Thursday 9 July, we are likely to get advice on the introduction of other elements of Phase 3. This will include an update on the following, with the working presumption of no changes until 23 July at the earliest:
• Opening of non-essential offices and call centres (but working from home will remain the default for some time)
• Phased/blended return to teaching at universities and colleges
• Opening of places of worship
There is also likely to be an update on the timelines for outdoor and indoor events and the opening of indoor entertainment venues (nightclubs, theatres, music venues).

The Scottish Craft Butchers office in Perth is now closed following government guidelines.
We will be available to our members to answer any queries via email or by mobile phone and will be available out of office hours for any members wanting to contact us.
Our contact details are below
Gordon King: – [email protected] 07917524313
Bruce McCall: [email protected] 07834490922