Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning
Fiona Hyslop
Scottish Parliament
September 12, 2007
Presiding Officer, I welcome this opportunity to set out for the chamber how this government will assist Scotland step up to the mark in skills: skills for life, skills for economic prosperity -prosperity that is shared fairly.
I announced that this government would develop our skills strategy as part of our 'first 100 days' commitments at the education debate in June. Skills for Scotland, was launched on Monday and sets out our ambitions for skills, in a lifelong learning context. It is our response to Leitch but not our programme for implementation of Leitch and that is deliberate.
Liz Cameron of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce was "delighted" with our Skills Strategy and commented that "we need a high skill economy that makes the best productive use of these skills". That is where Scotland differs significantly from the Leitch review of skills, where the Leitch focus is on growing the number of qualifications, the focus in Scotland has to be about supply and importantly use of those skills.
'What' and 'how'
The strategy is our vision of what we need to develop.
How we deliver on that vision is a call to action for all relevant players involved in the skills agenda at every level.
The intention then is to work together with all of our partners to particularly focus on 'how' to deliver: developing policies which are focused, relevant and will make an impact. The 'how' of local delivery will be determined with all key partners in skills development.
Aligning skills and economic development policies
We will take forward our policies on skills development by weaving these closely with our policies on economic development, business improvement and innovation.
Cohesive and coherent structures
So starting with cohension, we need to overhaul and simplify the organsiation of support for skills and training development by doing two things. Firstly, creating a national focus on skills by bringing together, into one organisation, public agencies that support skills and learning. And secondly, by bringing greater cohesion and support to the local delivery of skills development.
Merger of public bodies involved in skills
Presiding Officer, we will be merging Careers Scotland with learndirect Scotland, an initial step to form the nucleus of a body focused on skills with a much greater focus on the needs of the individual. I note Murdo Fraser's amendment and indicate to him and the chamber that a further announcement on skills and training will be made when my Finance colleagues make a statement in the coming weeks about the reform of Scottish Enterprise.
One flexible system
For the first time our strategy spells out clearly that every one of our partners involved in delivery of skills development, are part of one lifelong learning system.
We will develop a more focused, streamlined and flexible system that is better suited to deliver the needs of Scotland for today and tomorrow. A system which:
- Is joined up
- Combines national and local delivery and focused on the needs of the individual
- Which is built on existing good practice
- Focuses increasingly on the individual, their needs, their aspirations and their potential and the needs of business and the economy
Individual development
Our second principle is individual development.
We will:
- Balance the skills needs of employers with the skills needs of individuals
- Develop coherent support systems which increase individual control and choice over learning
- Promote equal access to - and participation in - skills and learning, recognising that different people have different needs, situations and goals
- Focus on the individual at each stage of their journey through lifelong learning
Early years
Skills for Scotland acknowledges that the foundations for skills development are laid in early years.
Schools
The years our children spend in compulsory education are critical, developing core skills in reading and writing, encouraging positive attitudes to skills development and the world of work, embedding knowledge and skills that will equip them to continue to learn and develop throughout their lives.
Essential skills
And it is right that we focus on the development of high levels of literacy, numeracy and IT skills because, without these, the development of other skills is compromised. The CBI, STUC and FSB have all supported this emphasise in the strategy.
Academic vs. vocational
We are committed to giving young people greater access to vocational education from the age of 14 and the opportunity to build a wide variety of skills, skills for which they are suited and which employers will value and use. We intend to achieve parity of esteem between vocational and academic learning and we see a crucial and strengthened role for colleges here.
Enterprising people
Skills development goes hand in hand with an enterprising and entrepreneurial outlook. We need more young people to be able to create ideas and have the confidence, determination and skills to translate those into positive action - for economic and social benefit.
Role of employers
And let's turn to employers. Scotland's employers will continue to play a crucial part in this effort and we will continue to encourage them to work in partnership with our schools and teachers to give young people a more meaningful experience of the world of work.
Today we commit to developing and building upon Scotland's worldwide reputation for excellence in enterprise education.
Closer working between employment and skills services
We also recognise that those furthest from the labour market live in a variety of circumstances and need to be supported through flexible provision towards sustained work and further skills development in the workplace.
That is why our strategy outlines our intention to integrate employment and skills services to help individuals move from long-term unemployment to sustained employment and in-work progression and that, perhaps, is where there is a similarity with Leitch. We recognise that this must include closer working with Jobcentre Plus to make sure we are delivering a system for the benefit of all. We intend to pursue that closer working with determination and vigour.
More choices, more chances
We are committing this government to supporting young people aged 16 to 19 needing more choices and more chances so that they can make a positive contribution to a more prosperous Scotland. But unlike Labour I do not see raising compulsory school leaving age to 18 implicit in their amendment as the way to do so. Again I hope that my commitment to continue to prioritise these young people will command support from across the chamber.
Information, Advice and Guidance
Our skills strategy recognises that people, especially those who continue to face multiple barriers to participation in learning or work, are looking for targeted advice specifically for them or those they are supporting.
SCQF
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework is one of the few frameworks worldwide that embraces both academic and vocational achievements and the potential to recognise prior learning. It is important that we recognise and value the skills that individuals acquire at work - whether it is informal 'on the job' learning - or more formal. The SCQF helps achieve this and provides an enviably strong launch pad to further achievements.
I met Commissioner Jan Figel from the European Commission recently, who was impressed with our SCQF. They launched their e-Skills Strategy "e-Skills for the 21st Century:
Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs" last Friday and we will ensure that Scotland participates fully.
UK Minister
And a week ago I met with David Lammy MP to discuss the skills agenda.
Modern Apprenticeships
We commit to refreshing Modern Apprenticeships, fully embedding the SCQF into this programme.
Although in the past we believe too much focus has been made on achieving volume targets, we are committed to ensure that Modern Apprenticeships meet employers current and future needs - providing security of employment for individuals to 'earn while they learn' new skills that are directly relevant to their job.
This is why we have announced in our strategy that we will implement the conclusions of the recent Modern Apprenticeship consultation. In particular we will extend Modern Apprenticeships to SVQ level 2, and phase out the current Skillseekers programme and that will substantially increase the number of apprentices.
This approach will help participants progress to other qualifications such as HNDs and Degrees which will further help to achieve parity between vocational and academic qualifications.
Learning in the workplace
Working and learning are often seen as two distinct and separate entities, with the learning to be completed before the working can start. In practice, we never stop learning and the changing workplace demands that we keep learning if we are to continue to be effective contributors.
I am determined that the SCQF will help us to achieve this.
Economic pull
Our third guiding principle is 'economic pull'.
Scotland has a proud history of investment in skills. Our skills and qualification levels are higher than that of the rest of the UK.
But our productivity lags behind.
We agree with Lord Leitch's analysis that we need to improve levels of skills in order to unlock our economic potential, but we do not agree that simply injecting more skills into the labour market will have the economic effect that we seek.
Also Leitch wants to subsidise employers to badge skills that people already have, to levy employers for training whereas in Scotland we need to focus on developing further skills and more importantly use of skills, as the Scottish Chamber of Commerce reminded us. This is widely recognised as a desirable key difference.
Our problem in Scotland is not characterised by the supply of skills but by employer demand for skills and how these are utilised in the workplace.
The extent to which skills utilisation happens in practice depends upon a range of factors. Our strategy goes further than Leitch and is designed to suit Scotland's needs and Scotland's ambitions. An approach that will ensure that Scotland contributes as fully as possible to the newly established UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
Derived demand
We need to better understand current and future demand for skills to help prepare for future needs.
But equally we need to understand that skills are a 'derived demand': driven by business need, dependent upon product market strategies and approaches to job design and people management.
Conclusion
Presiding Officer, this government's Skills Strategy is above all a challenge - both to ourselves and all of our partners, to develop the detail of delivery.
To achieve a smarter Scotland:
with a globally competitive economy;
- A Scotland where people can work in teams, are confident, creative, and hungry to continually learn new skills
- A Scotland employers are able to access a skilled workforce that is increasingly literate and numerate
- Where small businesses are encouraged to grow and there is strong, coherent support for businesses of all sizes
- Where migrant workers and overseas students play a valuable role
- A Scotland where learning and training providers work as one system
- A smarter Scotland that is built on the firm foundations of the talent that each and every person has the right to develop. A Scotland of opportunity and fulfilment
I move the motion.