Responding to Labour’s announcement of a skills bill, their first policy initiative in 10 months SNP MSP Bill Kidd highlighted the positive reception given to the Scottish Government’s Skills for Scotland strategy, including by Labour skills spokesperson John Park MSP.

"Labour really need to work on their own skills.  This is another own goal.

"The Scottish Government’s Skills for Scotland strategy has been widely praised by business, industry, trade unions and trainers for moving away from the target based approach of arbitrary quotas to delivering the skills Scotland actually needs for the long term.

"Even John Park recognises the merit in the Scottish Government’s approach.
 

"It must be about quality, flexibility and meeting the skills needs of the economy – not about hitting pre-arranged quotas.

"Labour seem determined to repeat the same mistakes that left Scotland with a skills gap and Labour languishing in opposition at the bottom of the polls.

"The SNP strategy is fit for the 21st century. Labour’s strategy is, as one leading skills expert has said “a clapped out old model, born of a cold-war mentality."

Notes

1. John Park, Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, is the Labour Party spokesman on skills: "Skills is a policy area where there is much agreement, and even political opponents can see merit in the Cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning's document as a first step."

2. Writing in the Sunday Herald (16th March 2008) Prof Ewart Keep of the ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance said: "My view is that Scotland has joined a small club of nations that are thinking in 21st century terms about the skills issue."
   
   He described Labour’s approach to skills as "a clapped out old model, born of a cold-war mentality."

3. Allan Wilson, Chief Executive of SCDI welcomed the comments saying "Keeps assessment is absolutely correct, often there is too much emphasis in this country on bits of paper and arbitrary numerical targets for modern apprentices, and not enough on the skills that a qualification actually gives the person or how it serves the needs of employers."

4. Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the STUC said: "The STUC welcomes the Scottish Government’s 'Skills for Scotland' strategy, and in particular its focus on the workplace which had been missing in previous initiatives. We look forward to rising to the challenges set for the trade union movement within the document.

5. Iain McMillan, Director CBI Scotland "I very much welcome the publication of the Scottish Government’s new Skills Strategy.  This new long-awaited strategy has all the characteristics that we were hoping for – coherence with the 3 to 18 school curriculum and the full involvement of employers and further and higher education.  The strategy recognises CBI Scotland’s key requirements of literacy and numeracy, core skills, employability skills and vocational skills.  We look forward very much to working with the Government in turning this strategy into action."  (The Herald, 30/09/07)

6. Liz Cameron, Executive Director of Scottish Chamber of Commerce Said she was "delighted" with the strategy. "The skills agenda sits very high up the priority list for individuals, businesses and whole economic wellbeing of our country"… "A high skilled economy that makes the best productive use of these skills produces a virtuous circle of high rates of meaningful employment generating additional wealth and new enterprise opportunities"
   
   In response to the news that the Government had lost the vote on the motion to note the strategy at a Govt debate she said: "We were flabbergasted by the vote. It is one of the best documents we have seen and reflected what we have been asking for."

7. Andy Willox FSB Scotland’s Policy Convener "We are pleased to see the government concentrating on the fundamentals of literacy, numeracy and soft skills such as team working and communication.
   
   "For too long, businesses have been left to finish off the work of the education system and deal with people’s problems with these most basic skills.  Scotland's productivity is behind our competitors and the rest of the UK, yet we spend far more on training per head than England.
   
   "This more focused approach to getting people into the labour market and building on their skills at every stage of their career is essential if we are to catch up with our rivals and increase wages and employment across the country."

8. Howard McKenzie, Acting Chief Executive of the Association of Scotland's Colleges (ASC), welcomes the move: "The strategy recognises the important role that Scotland's Colleges have to play and stresses hat they are already highly effective at responding to local employer needs. We welcome this recognition of our role and look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Scottish Government, Scottish business and our communities."