Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn says the government holds great value in the CJS offering. 

Mr Hepburn says he has been impressed by the dedication and commitment to participants from the third sector. 

The employability minister says he was impressed by the young speakers who have benefited from the CJS programme during the recent gathering. 

He says the government achieves positive outcomes through this initiative and he looks forward to continuing to do so next year.

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Employability and Training Minister Jamie Hepburn says this is a timely juncture to have this debate as it is Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2017.

Mr Hepburn say he has undergone a number of related visits to meet apprentices which he has thoroughly enjoyed.

He says CJS is part of a family of programmes helping people into work.

Mr Hepburn says the Scottish Wildlife Trust takes part with CJS in his constituency.

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton says the CJS programme gives a taste of employment for the young people taking part. 

Ms Hamilton says she would like to see improvement in the retention of young people after their training ends.

The Tory MSP says all the organisations involved perform an important role. 

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says everyone needs role models and people need that "active assistance".

Mr Johnson says "work is the most precious thing that a person can have in society" because it breaks poverty. 

The Labour MSP says this programme is an example of the government working well with the third sector and he congratulates the Scottish government for investing in it. 

Tory MSP Bill Bowman talks about the importance of a competitive employment market and preparing young people for that.

Mr Bowman says youth unemployment is still too high. 

The Tory MSP says every young person in the country deserves the opportunity to succeed and parliament should do all it can do to support that. 

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SNP MSP Claire Haughey says CJS help vulnerable young people into work.

Ms Haughey says there is a positive outcome rate of 69% with over half being retained by employers.

She says this success is in stark contrast with the DWP, who use ATOS whose aims are purely to process a number on a screen.

The SNP MSP says there are reports of staff working on behalf of the DWP have asked those with mental health problems, "why have you not killed yourself yet?".

Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott says the Shetland Community Bike project is only in existence because of CJS. 

Mr Scott says this project helps people with mental health issues and those with criminal convictions among others.

The Lib Dem MSP says CJS should be applauded for their work in this area.

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Labour MSP Pauline McNeill says many people need a second chance in their lives and that can be provided by the CJS.

People with disability and those with care experience also can benefit from the CJS, says Ms McNeill.

Tory MSP Dean Lockhart says he would like to commend everyone involved in the programme for their hard work. 

Mr Lockhart says the programme has created jobs in all of the 32 local authorities in Scotland. 

The Tory MSP says CJS was initially set up to help with youth unemployment but it goes even further to help the most difficult to reach in society. 

He says it is unique because it only offers jobs in the third sector with organisations that help others. 

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SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson says there is much to celebrate in the Community Jobs Scotland programme run by SCVO.

Mr Gibson says Ryan Brown, the 7,500th Community Jobs Scotland recipient, says the programme allowed him to change his life.

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Mr Tomkins says he has his list of complaints about the SNP's policies but this debate should be an opportunity for all to come together and celebrate CJS and what it does to help many in society.

Mr Tomkins says every Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) job enables young people to gain skills in the employment market.

The Tory MSP says CJS focuses on those that other employment programmes fail to reach. 

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He uses an example of a group of youths from his constituency who had problems with the police before taking up a role with CJS.

Mr Tomkins says CJS can offer the best route out of poverty and gang violence, addiction and general disorder.

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Mr Tomkins uses his motion to celebrate the success of the C ommunity Jobs Scotland employability programme, external , which is run by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), external .

The Conservative MSP says Community Jobs Scotland is not a training programme, but provides a paid job for young people in the third sector, with targeted efforts to help hard-to-reach and vulnerable young people into employment.