Having led a recent review into career services in Scotland, former Scottish TUC General Secretary Grahame Smith explains why a major cultural shift is necessary to reduce inequality and ensure career services are fit for the future

The Herald:

Ex-Scottish TUC General Secretary Grahame Smith

 

THERE are few decisions in life more important than deciding what we do with our career.

Our choice of work determines so much about our lives - how we spend our time, our contribution to society, providing the opportunity to challenge and prove ourselves and earn a living. 

At a societal level, the career choices that Scotland’s people make have a far-reaching impact on our economy and the communities in which we live.

Our health, education and transport services are all critically dependent on a skilled workforce.  

And the growth of our economy is dependent on businesses being able to access a talented, productive supply of labour.

It therefore stands to reason that the way we support career decision making carries major importance.

Whether it’s in schools, in the community or delivered digitally, there is a wealth of access to information, advice and guidance to help people choose the right path.

Much of this support is excellent – Scotland is globally recognised for the strength of our career support. However, recognising the pace of change in the world of work, I have been delighted to lead a recent review of career services.

This review has considered evidence from a range of sources, working with stakeholders to determine how support needs to evolve.

The process has placed decision-making in the hands of the people, teachers, career practitioners and others who experience and deliver services.  

Working together, these groups identified ten practical recommendations to make career support more accessible, consistent and relevant to the modern world.

I’ve participated in many reviews over the years. Despite compelling evidence and well-founded recommendations, I’ve witnessed varying degrees of success when it comes to delivering lasting impact. This has often been a consequence of practical barriers, either in the culture or capacity for change.  

We were determined to do whatever we could to ensure the Career Review was different.   

Rather than pass our recommendations to others to implement, we were able to invest time working with organisations and individuals across Scotland, co-designing actions for change. 

This has been invaluable in seeking to identify practical, deliverable actions and I hope those leading ongoing and complementary reviews will seek and be afforded a similar opportunity.

Key commitments to emerge from this work include enhanced universal support, smarter digital services, a stronger role for the third sector and streamlining industry engagement.

A full range of actions are outlined in the final report of the Career Review, launched earlier this month, providing a clear road map for the development of Scotland’s career support

I’m grateful to the hundreds of young people, adults, parents, carers and other stakeholders who have given their time to support the review.

I’m also extremely mindful of the feedback we heard from the teachers, career practitioners and others on the front line of supporting people, many of whom spoke of ‘initiative overload’.

The amazing practitioners and organisations directly supporting people need to be empowered to get on with the day job, with joined-up policies and support which empowers them to do what they do best.

With a number of reviews ongoing which have the potential to impact on education and economic policy, it’s therefore vital that commitments are aligned. 
Critical in this respect must be a laser focus on equality and person-centred services that deliver for all.  

Every individual should have the opportunity to develop skills and habits essential to the world of work, which are widely recognised, valued, informed and delivered with and by industry. 

I also strongly believe that the esteem of our education and skills system should be determined by its impact on reducing inequality and improving economic and social wellbeing. 

This requires a major cultural shift, a step change in attitude and behaviour by education and skills providers, learners, parents, carers and industry.  

This is a change that has been discussed for some time but proved elusive. If we can achieve it, we’ll support future generations with the skills and experiences to grow and succeed in a rapidly changing world. 

If we can’t, a generation will have been badly let down, and in a few years others will be back seeking solutions to the same problems. That is simply not good enough.

For more on the Career Review visit CareerReview.scot

Grahame Smith is a former General Secretary of the Scottish TUC and Chair of the independent Career Review Programme Board

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New masterplan to meet demand for digital skills

A NEW report published by Skills Development Scotland highlights the importance of digital skills to improve productivity and growth in Scotland. 

The Digital Economy Skills Action Plan (DESAP) shows that digital skills are no longer the preserve of just the technology sector, and that digital talent is now essential for all of the country’s key industries.

The Herald:

Phil Ford from SDS pictured with digital apprentices from law firm Harper Macleod during this year’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week

 

The plan also states how important work-based learning is for training new workers, and upskilling and reskilling existing employees, to help build the nation’s digital capability.

Phil Ford, Head of Digital Economy and Financial Services, said: “DESAP builds on strong partnership work across Scottish Government and public agencies. It also reinforces the need for a step change in the supply of digitally skilled employees and employers to meet the needs of the Scottish economy.

“Work-based learning, which includes everything from apprenticeships and degree micro-credentials through to mentoring schemes and tech boot camps, offers the most cost-efficient way to supply those essential skills that are now very much in demand.

“Technology is also an essential catalyst for change, and a vibrant digital economy will not only deliver productivity gains but will also ensure that we deliver the innovation necessary to hit our net zero targets by 2045.”

Key recommendations in the plan include establishing a new equality, diversity and inclusion advisory group to provide expert advice to break down barriers and improve access to training and jobs, along with the creation of a new toolkit which will allow employers to assess digital skills in the workplace.

The plan recommends increasing the number of further education students that get access to technology-led work placements, and also increasing the number of tech experts that visit schools.

Continuing the theme that digital skills are no longer the preserve of just the technology sector, the plan includes the introduction of digital skills such as data management and cyber security into non-technology education and apprenticeships such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, and early learning and childcare.

There are also goals around blending entrepreneurship and enterprise skills into technology apprenticeships to encourage more start-ups, and implementing a new fast-track digital skills training model to help employers find people with the right skills more quickly.

Rachel Cook, Deputy Head of Policy at the Federation of Small Businesses backs SDS’ recommendations. She said: “Increasing integration of digital technology into the everyday life of a small business owner and sole trader is important in tackling skills gaps in the workforce.

“We know embracing digital technology can help businesses in every sector across Scotland be more productive.”

National law firm Harper Macleod is just one non-tech company in Scotland that sees the benefits of employing digital technology apprentices to help grow their business.  

Martin Darroch, chief executive, said: “Modern Apprentices play a significant role in our business. We’re extremely proud of the culture we’ve created which allows our Modern Apprentice colleagues to develop their digital skills in a fast-paced and high standards environment. The digitisation of the legal sector is something we’re embracing to protect and grow our business and support our clients.”

Read the Digital Economy Skills Action Plan at sds.co.uk/media/50035/digital-economy-skills-action-plan.pdf