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Nurturing Wealth Creation
Current policy for Scottish manufacturing
The Group's remit was as follows:
- to audit Created in Scotland's progress;
- to note subsequent policy developments; and
- to identify further actions required to support manufacturing as appropriate, with a particular focus on issues which are within the devolved powers of the Scottish Executive.
Audit of Created in Scotland
Created in Scotland, published in March 2000, listed over 50 initiatives to support manufacturing covering the business environment; knowledge and technology; science base and its commercialisation; skills and people; and images and attitudes.
There is evidence to suggest that good progress has already been made on almost all of these initiatives, with some already having been achieved or completed. However, there is no doubt that much remains to be achieved.
Progress is monitored on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Executive and a full current update can be found at: www.scotland.gov.uk/createdinscotland
Recent policy developments
When Created in Scotland was published, The Way Forward: Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (FEDS) was in the process of being prepared.
FEDS, published in June 2000, aimed "to raise the quality of life for all Scottish people by increasing opportunities for all. "
Four outcomes were identified as central to this vision:
- securing economic growth through increasing our international competitiveness;
- regional development;
- social integration; and
- sustainability.
Specific targets were not set out in FEDS; these were to be developed by agencies at an operational level.
FEDS identified priority areas for policy statements, including enterprise, which provided the context for the subsequent publication of A Smart, Successful Scotland: Ambitions for the Enterprise Networks.
Published in January 2001, A Smart, Successful Scotland outlined the Executive's enterprise strategy, paying particular attention to the role of the Enterprise Networks.
It highlighted priority areas in which Scotland must succeed to achieve sustainable economic growth and grouped them into the following strategic themes:
- growing businesses - supporting innovation and entrepreneurship both in new companies and helping existing companies to develop further;
- global connections - encouraging Scottish companies to increase their involvement in global markets, and encouraging people to live and work in Scotland; and
- skills and learning - helping people into jobs and ensuring that business has access to the skills and expertise it needs.
To take these ambitions to the next level, Measuring Scotland's progress towards a Smart, Successful Scotland published in March 2002, set out how progress would be measured.
Specific indicators were derived for each of the priorities in A Smart, Successful Scotland designed to focus on outcomes.
Issues arising
There does seem to be a range of policy frameworks already in place directed towards promoting the growth of Scotland's economy and promoting skills, creativity and enterprise.
What, however, is clear from the Group's work is that much still remains to be achieved in terms of implementing these policies on the ground and effectively communicating them to the people actually involved in and supporting manufacturing.
It would, therefore, appear that there is a need to concentrate effort not only on implementing the polices which already exist, but also on ensuring that such policies are properly monitored and their effectiveness rigorously evaluated.
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