Job Creation Scheme

A new cohort for 2026

We are welcoming a new cohort of individuals to our organisation through the Edinburgh Guarantee’s Job Creation Scheme. Each participant will complete a 6-month paid work experience placement, fully funded by The Edinburgh Guarantee. This is an exciting opportunity for you to gain valuable and meaningful work experience within the City of Edinburgh Council. These placements allow you to refresh your employability skills and increase your confidence through a temporary, paid, work experience placements.

About the placements

Placements last up to 26 weeks and will end no later than 31 March 2027. Placements can be between 10-36 hours per week and payment starts at £13.66 per hour. Start and finish times will vary depending on the type of placement. Your workplace will also depend on the placement you are given. While we try to take your home location into consideration, this is not always possible and you may need to travel to another part of the city. The number of hours you work per week is negotiable, however some placements may need people to be available on certain days and at fixed times so we will take your availability into consideration when matching you to a placement. 

Our placements are across many different areas of the council and we will try to match you to something that interests you and matches your skills and experience, but we may need to suggest something you have not tried before due to the availability of placements or number of requests for that type of placement. 

We provide over 700 services across the organisation and try to make our placements as varied and as widespread as possible. Examples of types of placements we have offered in the past include

• Business Support Assistants
• Catering Assistants
• Pupil Support Assistants
• Technical Officer
• Bus Operations Assistant
• Library Assistant
• Cleansing Operative 
• Housing Assistant
• Park Ranger
• Transactions Administrator
• Facilities Technician
• Operational Assistant

This list is an example of placements and it is subject to change based on the availability of departments. There are many different teams and types of work across the council, and we want to hear what you are interested in. Your application will help us find the right placement for you.

This year we are also able to offer placements in our Early Years teams. These roles are within nurseries and other childcare settings, preparing you to enter employment in this area. These placement are specifically for those who meet the criteria in the eligibility section below.  

For further information or to discuss the posts please contact jcs@edinburgh.gov.uk

Application 

You can submit an application to us by using the the links at the top of the page, or the links below. If you meet the eligibility criteria for both types of placement, you are welcome to submit an application for both but the Early Years placements are only for those who meet the specific requirements for these placements, which can be found in the eligibility section below. If you apply for both types of placement, please state your preference on your application. 

Applications close on Wednesday 10 June 2026

General placement application

Early Years placement application

Once we receive your application it will be assessed by our team. We receive a large number of applications and unfortunately can't offer a placement to everyone. We will decide who is offered a placement based on the details provided in your application form, your skills and experience, and the ability to be able to match you to a suitable, available placement. We will notify you to let you know if your application has been shortlisted or not. 

If you are shortlisted, our team will contact you and arrange to have an informal chat, in person, to find out more about you. We will then determine who we can offer a placement to at this time. Again, we will notify you to let you know if will be offered a placement or not. 

If you are successful in securing a placement, we will then begin the onboarding process and support you through this. We hope to have everyone started on their placement in early August, but this is subject to change. You will complete an induction week before going to your placement. 

On placement

During your time on placement, you will be working alongside the department staff and inducted into the role as an employee would be. You will report to the department manager on a day to day basis. You will also be supported by a member of our team throughout the placement. You will take part in 4-weekly review meetings with our team and the department manager to ensure you are progressing well in the role. Our team will be available for additional support as and when you need it. 

After the placement

By the midway point of your placement, you should be ready to being looking for employment. Our team will support you to identify your career goals and next steps, and help you apply for internal and external vacancies.  The hope is that you enter employment as quickly as possible on finishing the placement but we will continue to support you for a period of time after the placement if that is not the case. 

Eligibility

Our placements are funded by the Scottish Government's No One  Left Behind funding and are subject to eligibility criteria. To be eligible for any of our placements you must be

• unemployed
• live in Edinburgh
• aged 16 or over
• not in education (unless ESOL)
• and have the right to work in the UK

For our general placements you must also meet one or more of the following criteria

• a young person who was receiving additional support for learning in school
• care experienced
• disabled and or D/deaf person (includes those experiencing mental health issues and those who have an impairment or long-term health condition)
• early Leavers from the Armed Forces, Veterans and Ex-Forces Personnel
• from gypsy/Travelling community
• homeless person (including temporary or unstable accommodation)
• living in a household with children in poverty
• living in a jobless household
• long-term unemployed
• low skilled (SCQF level 4 qualification or below)
• no or limited work experience
• partner of current or ex-armed forces personnel
• people from ethnic minority backgrounds 
• person affected by substance misuse
• person aged over 50 years
• person living in the 15% most employment deprived SIMD geographies
• person requiring support with language, literacy, or numeracy, including those for whom English is an additional language
• person who has failed their ESA work capability assessment
• person with a conviction (including CPO’s)
• primary carer
• refugee or other granted leave to stay in the UK
• young person at risk of not being in employment, education or training

For our Early Years placements you must meet one of the below criteria

• Lone parent
• Parent or child with a disability
• Parent of 3 or more children
• Parent from a minority ethnic background
• Parent with a child under 1 year old
• Parent under 25 years old

General placement application

Early Years placement application

Applications close on Wednesday 10 June 2026

If you have any questions, please contact jcs@edinburgh.gov.uk or call 0131 529 3525