Our History
Skills Exchange SCIO, formerly known as Skills Exchange Scotland, was established in December 2013 by three colleagues with a shared vision: to provide a quality, personalised, and professional service to unemployed young people in East Kilbride, offering essential support in their pursuit of work and training opportunities.
What began in a small training room with two staff members and six participants has since grown into a dynamic organisation with a team of five staff and a number of dedicated volunteers. We now operate from our base at the Village Centre in East Kilbride and extend our services to various community venues across South Lanarkshire. In February 2019, we achieved SQA Centre approval, allowing us to expand our training offerings and better meet the needs of our participants.
Since our inception, we have successfully delivered a wide range of programmes throughout East Kilbride and rural South Lanarkshire, developing strong relationships with local employers and partners. Our focus has increasingly shifted toward supporting disadvantaged and harder-to-reach young people, ensuring our programmes are closely aligned with the needs of both the local community and local employers.
In June 2018, Skills Exchange transitioned into a charitable organisation, a change that more accurately reflects our ethos, mission, and the nature of our work. A board of trustees was established to provide strategic direction and bring new skills and perspectives to the organisation. This transition has enabled us to build new partnerships with third-sector organisations and expand our volunteer base, enhancing the impact of our services.
Despite the many changes over the years—staff transitions, new team members, and the overall growth of the organisation—our core belief remains unchanged: to offer caring, dedicated, and individualised support to young people, empowering them to develop the skills, self-belief, and confidence needed to improve their life chances.