Scottish Leaders Urge Skills Strategy to Address Economic Concerns

Scottish industry leaders and business groups are urging the Scottish Government to prioritize closing the skills gap to support economic growth and sustainability. Concerns were raised to MSPs that recent government reforms, including shifting national training responsibilities from Skills Development Scotland to the Scottish Funding Council, could further stall efforts to address the ongoing skills crisis. Representatives from sectors like engineering and financial services argue that business input is not being effectively acted upon in current skills reform discussions. CBI Scotland has called for a coordinated national skills strategy, emphasizing closer alignment of funding with industry needs, more collaboration between business and education, and a better balance between classroom and work-based training. The business group also advocates for rapid upskilling and retraining to support the clean energy transition and for policies to improve infrastructure, digital skills, and housing to attract and retain talent. Overall, leaders believe substantial changes are essential for Scotland to meet its current and future workforce requirements and drive long-term economic growth.