NICOLA Sturgeon will today pledge that the Scottish Government will work in partnership with industry to help create a wealthier, fairer and greener Scotland following the pandemic.

In the opening address at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Annual Forum in Edinburgh, the First Minister is expected to urge businesses to adapt to new ways of working that will help achieve net zero and improve wellbeing.

During the conference, the First Minister will confirm the expansion of Scotland’s network of “Productivity Clubs” – a scheme designed to help small businesses grow by offering peer support and advice around issues such as digital transition.

The initiative currently has 1,800 members across the country and grant funding of £200,000 is being offered for a new hub in Tayside under the work of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

The First Minister is expected to say: “We are recovering from the worst pandemic in more than a century, and the huge economic and social challenges it has brought.

“We face the highest inflation in more than a generation, and the growing cost of doing business is being made far worse by Brexit, which has removed us from a single market seven times the size of the UK.

“And of course all businesses, like all governments, need to adapt their working methods as we seek to reduce our climate change emissions, and become a net zero economy that truly serves our collective wellbeing for current and future generations.

“Those challenges can sound daunting. But we also need to keep in mind that Scotland has huge opportunities and assets to help transform our economy. Inward investment in Scotland increased by 14 per cent in 2021 – far above the UK’s increase of 2%. There was a rise of more than 70% in the number of inward investments in the digital sector.

“That highlights the strengths of Scotland’s skills and infrastructure, but it also reflects that businesses are increasingly taking investment decisions based on issues such as a country’s approach to sustainability, wellbeing, and climate change.

“The National Strategy for Economic Transformation – which we published in March – aims to capitalise on these strengths. And it makes it clear that recovery has to be a truly national endeavour. That won’t be achieved by business alone, by government alone, or by the third sector alone – we will all need to work together to create a wealthier, fairer and more sustainable nation.”

The SCDI Annual Forum will bring together up to 300 delegates and include senior business people, figures from the Scottish and UK governments and the third sector as well as academia to discuss Scotland’s future.