Small Businesses |
RECOMMENDATION | COMMENT |
57. The Scottish Parliament should agree a goal - Destination 2010. The destination is for Scotland to become a world leader in several key home-based industry sectors within 10 years. | A Smart, Successful Scotland commits the Enterprise Networks to promoting key clusters that would establish Scottish leadership in certain industrial sectors. |
58. The Parliament should work to create a new cultural environment of acceptance and enthusiasm for business and enterprise throughout Scotland. | Working Together for Scotland, a programme for Government, contains a commitment to building the enterprise culture, and the A Smart, Successful Scotland document indicates that the need for greater entrepreneurial dynamism will remain at the forefront of the Enterprise Networks activities. The BBRS was an important catalyst in this area and the New Approach to Entrepreneurship will enhance this positive contribution. The Schools Enterprise Programme is introducing enterprise education experiences to all primary pupils from August 2001. |
59. The group believes that the top business appointment in Scotland is the CEO of Scottish Enterprise. The CEO, with a budget of half-a-billion pounds, should be absolutely accountable for performance in key areas, benchmarked against the world's best. | The Chief Executives of both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise are accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Both have key roles to play in helping to achieve A Smart, Successful Scotland. Performance indicators are being developed by the Joint Performance Team, with success being measured against OECD countries with a target of ensuring that Scotland is in the upper quartile for all measures. |
60. The Parliament should work to radically simplify and streamline the business support and advice infrastructure, which currently has over 800 organisations. | Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee report published December 2000 picked up on these themes.
The Scottish Executive is working directly with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to improve quality and consistency of support for business start-ups and small businesses throughout Scotland. Number of measures introduced to improve quality/consistency of the business support structure including: Introduction of Small Business Gateway providing consistent support and advice to start-ups, existing and growing businesses across the Scottish Enterprise Network. Highlands and Islands Enterprise has also improved access to information and advice to businesses in the HIE area.
A significant number of business support organisations are, of course, non-public sector.
Another significant outcome of ELL Committee's consideration of local economic development was the formation of Local Economic Forums. There are 22 Forums (one in each LEC area) with membership drawn from LECs, local authorities, area tourist boards, further and higher education and business representatives. The Forums are charged with considering how to further improve the delivery of services and remove overlap and duplication. Their first task is to examine the provision of business support services. The Forums produced action plans in October 2001, and are now in the process of refining and implementing those plans. |
61. The First Minister should personally select a team of high profile business mentors to nurture Scotland's young entrepreneurs. | The Executive introduced Scotland-wide, from 1 April 2000, Business Mentoring Scotland. This enables companies with growth potential to receive the assistance of an experienced volunteer business mentor. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise administer the initiative. A new national initiative is also being developed to provide informal support for entrepreneurs. It will be run on a joining basis with leading business organisations. The aim is to achieve a sizeable increase in the amount of informal networking activity involving start-up entrepreneurs and to achieve a significant 'opening up' of existing business networks in Scotland to new entrepreneurs. |
62. The Group identifies the need to target Scotland's future business winners, the 4% of new starts which provide 56% of all new jobs in the small business sector. These companies should be given fast track support, with special business and financial help. | The need for a focused high-growth programme has been recognised. Scottish Enterprise intends to introduce a new programme which will complement existing activity at local level and focus on the very earliest stages of development. The approach will be highly flexible, recognising the varying needs of different businesses. Currently giving consideration to approach and structure as part of the review of the Business Birth-rate strategy.
The recent review of Regional Selective Assistance recommends a greater focus on firms with high growth potential. Stronger links with Scottish Enterprise at LEC level will allow these firms to be more readily identified and targeted so that Regional Selective Assistance support can be offered where appropriate. |
63. The Parliament should actively work to create an enterprise culture in our schools by introducing Standard and Higher Grade courses in entrepreneurial studies. | A number of courses relating to business studies are available. Scottish Group Awards in Business are also available. |
64. Scottish Enterprise should help to commercialise the potential of the creativity in our universities. | Scottish Enterprise has been active in the commercialisation field through, for example, the Proof of Concept Fund, the creation of Technology Ventures Scotland and various projects at a local level through the LEC network. |