Commenting on the publication of the final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, chaired by Sir Ian Wood, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
“This report from Sir Ian Wood’s commission is a landmark moment for the way in which Scottish business, the Scottish education system and the Scottish Government engage in terms of our young people and the end result has the potential to be transformational in terms of placing careers outcomes and business need at the very heart of the learning experience.
“For too long there has been a lack of recognition and support at a school level of those young people who wish to pursue vocational training and education. Whether by accident or design, a narrow focus on academic attainment within schools has emerged and it is time to complement this with the skills and knowledge that will allow young people to better access valuable and profitable opportunities on the vocational side.
“Scotland’s education system, at school, college and university, must change in order to allow for formal, structured careers guidance, delivered in conjunction with real local businesses to provide our young people with all the information they need to make the right choices for their future careers. That means that businesses must step up to the plate and that the public sector must embrace true partnership working that delivers directly both for young people and for the future needs of business and our economy. Things must change fundamentally – more of the same is simply not an option.
“Sir Ian Wood and his team’s recommendations have the full support of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network. The report, and last September’s interim report, highlight the sterling work that is being done by the Chamber of Commerce network to provide effective partnerships between businesses and education providers across Scotland and these examples of best and effective practice now require to be mainstreamed on a national basis.
“We now have an excellent report, the themes of which have been welcomed by all interested parties. It is imperative that we all work together to take this opportunity to deliver real and lasting change to improve the careers outcomes for Scotland’s young people and to ensure that businesses have access to a workforce equipped with the skills that our economy needs to succeed in an ever more competitive global economy.”
