This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Enterprise education gets extra £1 million
06/03/2007
An extra £1 million of funding for enterprise education was announced today as a report on the first three years of the Executive's Determined to Succeed programme showed that a record number of pupils are involved in enterprise learning.
Determined to Succeed is based on the fundamental principle that a strong Scottish economy requires enterprising and entrepreneurial young people.
The new funding will go towards a range of activities to be agreed with employer organisations, including the CBI, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"Determined to Succeed has achieved remarkable results in the past three years. We now have over 7,000 school/business partnerships - nearly four times our original target. Enterprise education is now being taught in all schools in all parts of Scotland.
"22,000 teachers are now trained in enterprise education and there have been large increases in the number of entries to the enterprise categories of the Scottish Education Awards.
"I am pleased to commit a further £1 million for enterprise education. We know that the private sector wants to be more involved in enterprise education and we are keen to work with them. That is why the CBI, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and others will be closely involved in the allocation of this new funding.
"We now have a record number of young people involved in enterprise learning - providing them with the education, support and opportunities they will need to excel in the workplace. This is precisely what the Review Group I chaired was looking for when we developed the original Determined to Succeed report.
"This is a significant success story but there is still a great deal to be done. Today's report shows that Determined to Succeed has been recognised as far afield as the USA and Australia as a world leading enterprise education strategy.
"Our young people will be the driving force of Scotland's economic future. It is vital that they have the attitude and expertise needed to succeed in the global economy.
"We will continue to build on the strong results of these first three years of Determined to Succeed. It is vital that young people in Scotland develop the confidence, ambition and determination to succeed."
Director of CBI Scotland Iain McMillan CBE said:
"Determined to Succeed has made significant in-roads in creating the long-term cultural change needed to ensure our young people are best equipped with the skill-set and mind-set required to make the successful transition from school to the workplace.
"We welcome this additional Scottish Executive funding to further work on building these links. The money will help to create further capacity, and more importantly build sustainability, in the partnerships that are required to make enterprise a key feature throughout our education system. We look forward to working with Determined to Succeed and the wider business community in looking at ways of making this happen."
Determined to Succeed is aims to create a 'can do - will do' attitude amongst young people, encouraging them to develop enterprising attitudes, experience and develop an understanding of the world of work and enjoy appropriately focussed career education engendering a culture of confidence and ambition.
Through Determined to Succeed, the Executive has already made available £86 million to deliver enterprise education in Scotland from 2003 - 2008. Sir Tom Hunter has himself contributed a further £2 million through his charitable trust.
The one-off £1 million investment will come from the Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department's budget for 2007-08.