News In Brief - Monday 25 March 2026
Thank you once again for tuning in to News in Brief with important updates and news highlights of all that is happening over the coming week.
This week is Employability Week
An exciting week of events is being hosted to help people access the support they need to get into work or training this Employability Week.
North Ayrshire Council’s third Employability week offers a series of community events and activities, where experts will explain different services that are available. The week shines a light on the great work that is being done by Council teams and partners, and is being coordinated by the Council’s Employability Service.
- Tuesday 26 May: Jobs Fair (10am to noon) in the Volunteer Rooms, Parterre, Irvine
- Tuesday 26 May: Council Modern Apprentice recruitment information event (4pm to 6pm) also in the Volunteer Rooms
- Wednesday 27 May: Equal Specialist Employability Support (SES) official garden opening (2pm to 4pm) Lochshore Park in Kilbirnie
Find out more in the Employability Week news release.
Monday 25 May: Outdoors for Wellbeing registration now open
North Ayrshire Youth Work have announced the return of their Outdoors for Wellbeing Summer programme for July 2026. Returning for the third year running in partnership with North Ayrshire Ranger Service and Eglinton Country Park, spaces will be available for not one but TWO week-long FREE sessions this summer for primary and secondary-aged pupils. Registration and further Outdoors for Wellbeing details are in the latest social media post. Limited spaces!
Tuesday 26 May: Absence Management session for managers
The third Supporting Employees absence management session takes place this Tuesday (11am until midday) and will cover the role of Occupational Health and supporting wellbeing. The session will delve into Occupational Health (OH), including when and how to refer employees, and the role of OH in supporting workplace wellbeing.
Also on Tuesday: Changes to payment runs
Accounts Payable complete a Payment Run twice weekly, which is currently performed on a Tuesday and Thursday, at 4pm. However, as of Tuesday 26 May, the payment run will now be performed at 3.30pm. All services are kindly asked to ensure that their payments are submitted or processed on time, to accommodate the new payment run time. Thank you for your support in this matter and please email accountspayable@north-ayrshire.gov.uk if you have any questions.
Wednesday 27 May: Plastic Smart Week drop-in
The Plastic Smart team will be sharing tips for reducing single use plastic this week as part of Plastic Smart Week. Drop down at lunchtime on Wednesday to the ground floor of Cunninghame House to find out how you can play your part to be Plastic Smart.
Thursday 28 May: Commonwealth baton final leg
North Ayrshire Council’s Commonwealth Baton will meet the Provost, Council Leader and Finnie the official Glasgow Commonwealth Games mascot on Thursday morning at Largs Marina. The baton has toured five of our six localities now with NA Active Schools and the celebration alongside Largs Sailing Club will see the baton arrive from Arran to the mainland for its final tour of the North Coast. Stay tuned for the press release…
Congratulations to everyone on another successful election
The Scottish Parliamentary Election took place on Thursday 7 May. The organisation here in North Ayrshire was a huge undertaking for colleagues who spent months ensuring it was an open and transparent democratic process. Read more here in the Elections shout-out on Latest News.
Café on 4 menu this week
Grab an iced coffee with the return of the sunshiny weather or treat yourself to some of the delicious home baked goods, breakfast and lunch options this week at the Café on 4. Read this week’s menu on Latest News.
Read the new Health and Social Care strategic plan
You can access the plan via the Strategies, Plans and Publications page of the NAHSCP website. Should your service have links to the previous Strategic Plan in any of your currently published documents, please ensure that these are updated to include the new link and sent via the IT Portal to replace the previous version.
New ‘How to Recruit’ sessions start this week
HR are pleased to invite managers to a short 3-part series of ‘How to Recruit’ sessions designed to support you at each key stage of the recruitment process. These practical sessions will provide clear guidance, best‑practice tips and the opportunity to ask questions:
- Thursday 28 May: Part 1 Preparing to Recruit (11am – midday) - getting recruitment right from the start: planning, manager responsibilities and preparing your advert.
- Thursday 4 June: Part 2 Interviews (11am – midday) - this session will include scheduling the interview and sending emails through the Talentlink system as well as discussing the key documentation required.
- Thursday 11 June: Part 3 Preferred Candidates (11am – midday) - this session focuses on what happens after interviews are complete.
These sessions will be particularly valuable for managers new to recruitment, as well as those looking for a refresher. Use the booking links above to join the Microsoft Teams meetings.
That’s all for now! If you have news to share in News In Brief next week, share your story with us by midday on Friday by using the contact us button below. Have a great week everyone!
