Skills of Scotland's Businesses Boosted by Training Programmes

Independent evaluation, released on 9 November 2006, has found that employers believe that Scottish Enterprise’s main training programmes are improving the skills of Scotland’s businesses.

The report, undertaken by economists Cambridge Policy Consultants, was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise to evaluate the Skillseeker, Modern Apprenticeships for 16 to 24 year olds and Adult Modern Apprenticeship programmes.

The evaluation examined the impact and performance of the programmes to measure their effectiveness and their contribution to the workforce development needs of Scotland’s businesses.

One of the most in-depth studies of its kind in Scotland, the consultants spoke with 3000 employers and 1000 trainees to identify areas for improvement and development. In general, the programmes are highly regarded by trainee and participating employers alike, with both citing high levels of satisfaction.

Skillseekers and Modern Apprenticeships aim to increase the number of people who can access paid employment linked with the opportunity to train for jobs at craft, technician and management level. 14,000 employers acrossa wide range of sectors and industries are involved in the programmes in Scotland.

The key findings of the evaluation are:

The programmes are making a real difference to Scotland’s businesses. The main impact identified by participating employers was in relation to the skills of staff ,with 78 per cent of employers recognising that participation had made their staff more productive

The programmes are working well with 90 per cent of employers saying that they value the qualification, 86 per cent saying that staff are more skilled and 80 per cent saying that staff understand their jobs better

Over the past four years, achievement rates for the programmes have improved significantly against a background where the overall numbers in training have increased

Within the UK, Scotland’s performance is significantly superior and achievement rates are improving year on year

Trainee satisfaction is high with 80 per cent of trainees citing improvement in their ability to do their job

Charlene O’Connor, senior director of skills and learning, Scottish Enterprise, said:

"This is a positive report, with many encouraging findings from a set of improving programmes. It is powerful evidence in support of our approach to skills and learning. However, as the report shows, there is no room for complacency and we have set ourselves challenging targets for the future.

"Achievement rates have increased year on year, largely due to the good partnership working between Scottish Enterprise and training providers, employers, sector skill councils and other agencies. Nevertheless, we invest around £65 million in the programmes and we must continue our drive for improvement. Scotland’s labour market supply is one of our economic strengths but we must make a bigger impact with this investment.

"Programme achievement rates vary across the network and we are already addressing inconsistency of performance among training providers by introducing an improved procurement process."

The report also highlighted a number of areas to consider for improvement including:

the aims of the training programmes are revisited in the light of labour market and policy context changes
the planning process is reviewed to provide greater flexibility

Charlene added, "The findings of the evaluation will be used to inform Scottish Enterprise’s Skills and Learning strategy which we are currently developing. Despite economic growth, Scotland continues to lag behind its competitors in relation to productivity levels. For us to compete in a changing global economy we must utilise the full potential of the workforce and as a nation we must become more productive.

"A number of leading economists recognise that skills development - alongside enterprise, innovation, competition and investment - is a key driver of productivity. It is clear that it is the interaction of these five drivers that determines economic success, and one isolated from the others would be detrimental to the economic impact.

"As an economic development agency with a wide set of powers, Scottish Enterprise is uniquely placed to ensure that these drivers are addressed in a strategic, joined-up and cost-effective manner. SE’s central aim is to grow the economy and by stimulating economic growth we create more, better, sustainable jobs for all the people of Scotland. As the Skillseeker and Modern Apprenticeship evaluation demonstrates, we have a solid track record of success in terms of economic impact and value from investment of public money. We will now use this as a platform to further support individuals and businesses in Scotland."

View the report on the Scottish Enterprise Website Cambridge Policy Consultants Report (PDF format 1.62mb)

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