« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
NEW SCOTS: Attracting Fresh Talent to meet the Challenge of Growth
PROMOTING SCOTLAND AS A PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK
"We already promote Scotland as a place to visit and as a place to invest. I want to complete that circle by promoting our country as a place with a high quality of life and a good place to live and work."
First Minister, Jack McConnell,
The Challenge of Growth, 25 February 2003
Scots are a cultured people, our universities modern and innovative. We have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and our cities are dynamic centres of creativity and economic growth. But if Scotland is to compete with the best to attract new talent to live and work here then we must promote ourselves at home, and abroad.
Our early research work in promoting Scotland as a place to live and work suggests that there is also much to gain from the generic promotion of Scotland, and research in this area is ongoing.
We will assess the findings, and later this year the First Minister will announce details of a global campaign.
However, in relation to Fresh Talent, there are several practical things we can do immediately.
We will introduce a promotional campaign, which will include printed materials with factual advice and information for potential in-migrants.
We will also develop a Fresh Talent website so that it offers a comprehensive and interactive advice service to those interested
in living and working in Scotland.
In September 2003, the First Minister announced the creation of a new one-stop relocation service to advise on jobs, accommodation, visas, work permits, school and university opportunities.
The Relocation Advice Service will be operational from October 2004.
Staff from the Home Office and Work Permits UK will be involved in setting up the Relocation Advice Service.
The message that Scotland welcomes fresh talent is a global one, but to achieve the best results we need to target our efforts.
There are many thousands of Scots living and working elsewhere and we will actively encourage these expatriate Scots to return home.
The extent of the Scots Diaspora means there are millions of people across the globe who have a strong emotional and cultural link with Scotland.
Friends of Scotland and GlobalScot will be re-organised to create a more focused relationship with this group, to encourage some of them to live and work in Scotland.
Countries which are likely to be rich sources of in-migration include England, Ireland, France, the USA, South Africa, India and China.
There are strong historical ties between Scotland and central European and Baltic countries such as Poland, Estonia and Lithuania, so European enlargement on 1 May 2004 offers us an opportunity to promote managed migration from the accession states.
The promotion of Scotland as a place to live and work will be underpinned by a core principle. Scotland needs a higher growth rate as well as a growing population to create the conditions for its continued economic success.
We want to encourage people with energy, ideas and a spirit of enterprise to come to Scotland. Scottish Enterprise has already started work in this area through their involvement in the Attracting Global Entrepreneurs Scheme - and we will build on that.
An interesting point to emerge from current research by Highlands and Islands Enterprise into why people choose to settle in Skye, Wester Ross and Arran suggests that they often develop a connection with an area after holidaying there.
This research suggests that there is merit in targeting tourists as potential in-migrants and further work will be done on this.
« Previous | Contents | Next »