Rosemary Winter-Scott

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Rosemary Winter-Scott

• Deputy Director
• Head of Employability Skills
• AGCAS Conference
• Friday 20th June 2008

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Overview

• Scottish Governments Strategic approach
• Background and outline of the Skills Strategy
• Where we are heading
• A brief introduction to Skills Development
  Scotland

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The Governments Purpose
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The Governments Purpose

• To focus government and public services on
  creating a more successful country, with
  opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish,
  through increasing sustainable economic growth

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High Level Purpose Targets

• Economic Growth (GDP) raise GDP growth
• Productivity increase productivity
• Participation maintain labour market
  participation
• Population match EU15 population growth
  increase life expectancy
• Solidarity increase income (especially in
  lowest decile)
• Cohesion narrow gap in performance between best
  worst regions
• Sustainability reduce emissions

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5 Strategic Objectives
WEALTHIER FAIRER
Enable businesses and people to increase their
wealth and more people to share fairly in that
wealth
SMARTER
Expand opportunities for Scots to succeed from
nurture through to lifelong learning ensuring
higher and more Widely shared achievements.
Help people to sustain and improve their health,
especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring
better, local and faster access to health care
HEALTHIER
Help local communities to flourish, becoming
stronger, safer places to live, offering improved
opportunities and a better quality of life.
SAFER STRONGER
GREENER
Improve Scotlands natural and built
environment And the sustainable use and enjoyment
of it.
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National Outcomes

• We realise our full economic potential with more
  and better employment opportunities for our
  people
• We are better educated, more skilled and more
  successful, renowned for our research and
  innovation
• Our young people are successful learners,
  confident individuals, effective contributors and
  responsible citizens
• Our children have the best start in life and are
  ready to succeed
• .

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National Indicators and Targets

• Increase the percentage of Scottish domiciled
  graduates from Scottish Higher Education in
  positive destinations
• Increase the proportion of school leavers (from
  Scottish publicly funded schools) in positive and
  sustained destinations (FE, HE employment or
  training)

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Why do we need a Skills Strategy

• Skills development contributes to economic
  development from which . other benefits flow,
  such as social justice, stronger communities
  more engaged citizens.
• But Scotlands skills profile and qualification
  levels are not matched by its economic growth
  rate
• So ..it is not just about more skills
• We need to address the demand for and utilisation
  of skills

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Our Vision

• A smarter Scotland with a globally competitive
  economy based on high value jobs, with
  progressive and innovative business leadership
• people motivated confident to learn new skills
• small businesses migrant workers encouraged
• employers invest in and access to a skilled
  workforce
• learning training delivery one system
  barriers removed

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Approach - Consensus

• Skills nested within lifelong learning
• Improve employer voice, but not at the expense of
  the individual
• Create demand for skills, not increase the
  qualifications stockpile

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Three Priorities

• Individual development
• Economic pull
• Cohesive structures

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Across the continuum of lifelong learning

• A strong start early years, compulsory
  education
• Developing potential learning for the world of
  work for those out of the workforce
• Making skills work for Scotland work based
  learning role of employers
• Information, advice guidance support services
• Learner centred funding support

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Individual Development

• Developing a distinctively Scottish Approach-
  balancing the needs of employers individuals
  placing the individual at the centre
• Ensuring equal access to participation in
  skills and learning for everyone
• Developing a coherent funding structure that
  encourages participation increases choice

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Economic Pull

1. Stimulating demand for skills from employers
   public private
2. Improving skills utilisation
3. Understanding current future projected demands
   for skills
4. Challenging employers, providers awarding
   bodies to use the SCQF

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Cohesive Structures

1. Simplify structures - creating one body focused
   on skills (Creation of Skills Development
   Scotland)
2. Ensure Curriculum for Excellence is at the heart
   of skills acquisition
3. Achieve parity of esteem between academic
   vocational learning
4. Challenge funding bodies to achieve a step change
   
5. Encourage training providers to bridge the gaps
   for learners

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Call to Action

• Next stage - to deliver in conjunction with
  stakeholders, employers and individuals in
  Scotland
• where we have issued challenges we expect to
  see a response
• where we have said we will make changes, we
  will work with you to deliver these and
• where we have indicated that we need further
  policy development, we will do this in
  partnership.

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Strategic Fit

• Sits below
• Government Economic Strategy
• Budget
• Interacts with
• Local Authority Concordat
• Sits alongside
• Existing work
• Eg MCMC
• Upcoming work
• EgEarly Years Strategy Science Strategy

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Since Publication

• A programme management approach
• To provide strategic direction, endorsement and
  leadership for the work resulting from the skills
  strategy
• To ensure coordination of all work across the
  Scottish Government and external stakeholders
• A number of associated projects
• Skills Utilization/employer demand based on
  lessons learned from Ireland
• Offender learning strategy

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Since Publication

• Simplify structures - creating one body focused
  on skills a Skills Development Scotland
• Bringing together learndirect Scotland, Careers
  Scotland and most the skills and training aspects
  of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Island
  Enterprise

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Skills Development Scotland (SDS)

• Ministers looked to have
• shell organisation in place by end 2007
• SDS operational (up and running) by April 2008
• SDS fully operational by summer 2008
• Scale of challenge
• 3 organisations, 1,500 staff
• budgets circa 200m
• happening alongside major SE/HIE reforms

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Skills Development Scotland (SDS)

• Key Milestones
• SDS legally established (December 2007)
• Interim management structure in place
• Outline Operating Plan agreed (March 2008)
• Staff transfers completed (April 2008)
• Substantive Board appointments completed May/June
  2008)
• Announcement of CEO appointment by end of June
  2008