Scottish apprenticeships are building a better world for the next generation

BUSINESS leaders around the world have been discussing the lack of gender diversity in the workplace for decades now.

This is particularly true in sectors such as care, engineering, construction and IT, which face both a crippling skills shortage and a stark lack of diversity. 

We know barriers to gender diversity can start before school, in the earliest of years – and you only have to look at the make-up of some secondary school classrooms and subject choices to see that the pipeline of talent into care or STEM jobs is likely to suffer much of the same diversity challenges they do today, and for some years to come.

We also know diverse businesses are more successful, both economically and culturally. They have better staff retention, a deeper understanding of their customer base, more creativity and, crucially in today’s landscape of low unemployment, access to a broader 
talent pool.   

But what is the root cause of this long-prevailing challenge? What can businesses, as well as the organisations and individuals that influence career choice, do to move awareness and conversation into change? 

Three years ago, the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) established a Gender Commission to examine the lack of gender diversity in the workplace, through the lens of apprenticeships, and to give practical and actionable recommendations to business and other stakeholders. 

While the challenge we were established to address is by no means a new one, what we did differently from inception was break down silos by bringing together representatives from Scottish employer organisations and those who influence career choices and policy to understand how we can work together to provide solutions that are both actionable and measurable.  

Our very first meeting was hosted by Early Years Scotland, a new voice in the business-led conversation about gendered barriers in the workplace. 

They are a crucial contributor – both as a key influencer on the choices of children from the very earliest years and as a sector with an almost entirely female workforce. 

By bringing employers and learning practitioners together, the Commission developed a clear understanding that what happens in the first stages of a child’s life has a significant impact on access and opportunity later on.

If young people are to enjoy real choice and achieve their potential across the employment spectrum, and employers are to benefit from the broadest range of talent, the process must start earlier on.

From the toys given to pre-school children to the career expectations of parents and carers, and from TV programmes and music to images projected by businesses, gendered barriers start closing in well before a child starts at primary school, never mind when they make subject choices in secondary. 

Of course, employers cannot tackle this multi-generational societal challenge alone. 

We must work together with the Scottish Government and its agencies to inspire those who influence a child’s life and spread awareness. 

There are, however, actions we can take now, both to create inclusive workplaces and to help engage young people and their influencers.  

The 12 recommendations set out in the SAAB Gender Commission report include quick and simple actions that can be taken by employers – large or small – including the use of online tools and activities, to role model opportunities.

We also ask Scottish Government to consider a campaign to raise awareness of the impact parents, carers and educators make on career opportunities at a much earlier age than previously thought. 

The report’s launch might herald the culmination of significant consultation and discussion by those who joined and supported the Gender Commission, but it is only the beginning of a long journey to breaking down gendered barriers to the workplace, particularly in those sectors most affected. 

SAAB has pledged to continue the work, as have I, and I hope employers and their representatives, parents, carers and all in society will recognise that opening opportunities for our young people and creating better workplaces is a win-win for everyone in society. 

Natalie Buxton is MD of UK network for global communications firm, Weber Shandwick, and Chair of the SAAB Gender Commission. Find out more and read the report at sds.co.uk/what-we-do/apprenticeships/the-scottish-apprenticeship-advisory-board/gender-commission

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Access support and professional advice that works

SCOTTISH Careers Week is back from 7-11 November, coming at an important time for people as they deal with the cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing fall-out of the pandemic, and the climate emergency. 

As people think about their career and education choices in response to these pressures, this dedicated week, now in its second year, aims to help people of all ages access and understand the opportunities out there.

Delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) along with a wide range of local and national partners, the campaign will feature a series of events and activities to help people explore, understand and manage their career choices.  

With an expert SDS careers adviser in every state secondary school, and more than 50 career centres across Scotland, events will take place across the country to highlight the support available for school pupils right through to adult career changers.

Employers and organisations across key Scottish sectors are also planning events and resources to provide career inspiration to attract future and current talent to their industries, while education and training providers will also create opportunities to improve knowledge about and experience of the workplace.

A report titled “Careers by Design” was published in February following a review of career services in Scotland. 

The report included 10 recommendations designed to ensure career services support people to thrive in the future. Although the report highlighted the fact Scotland already has world class career services, it also stated that the world of work is evolving at such a rapid pace those services must evolve in response to those changes.

SDS’s Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance Operations, Sharon McIntyre said: “The Career Review has shone a light on the importance of building people’s knowledge and experience of the world of work, from early years right through their career journey.

“We hope to have more schools, employers and organisations across Scotland join us this year and get involved with Scottish Careers Week. By working together, we can ensure people of all ages have exciting opportunities this November to explore their career options.”

Using its extensive evidence base, SDS is engaging with employers and organisations from Scotland’s key sectors to use Scottish Careers Week as an opportunity to highlight opportunities in their industry and shape their own future workforce.

Jamie Hepburn, Scottish Government Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, said: “I welcome the return of Scottish Careers Week. It will allow employers to highlight the exciting career opportunities available and showcase routes and pathways into those roles – supporting people to make informed career decisions and employers to reach local talent.” 

People of all ages can access career support from SDS’s expert careers advisers in school, in SDS centres across the country or at any time on My World of Work, Scotland’s career website.  Visit myworldofwork.co.uk to find your nearest SDS office and to get further information about Scottish Careers Week