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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme ( FTWiSS) has been a very innovative piece of policy making. Negotiated within the context of devolution in the UK, it represented a policy solution tailored to particular Scottish needs and over 8000 international students have gone on the scheme since its introduction in 2005.
1.2 The scheme has now been mainstreamed within the UK Government's immigration system through the International Graduate Scheme, although a degree of flexibility remains because in Scotland it applies to HNDs ( Chapter 2).
1.3 In an international context, FTWiSS stands out in the ongoing policy trend among Governments around the world to persuade and influence international graduates to stay on once they have graduated ( Chapter 2).
1.4 Evidence shows that FTWiSS has been an effective means of attracting prospective international students to consider Scotland as a place to study ( Chapters 4, 5 and 6). FTWiSS has acted as an incentive, showing prospective international students how they can benefit from studying in Scotland compared to other places. Universities, in particular, have used the scheme to communicate their institutions and courses ( Chapter 7). However, the potential of FTWiSS has yet to be maximised and there remains considerable scope to build up recognition and awareness of the quality of Scotland's education system around the world.
1.5 While many of the individuals who go onto FTWiSS are able to find employment, there are concerns about the type of jobs available for them and whether they meet their expectations and chosen career paths ( Chapter 8). The report suggests that steps might be taken to provide ongoing support and advice to international graduates once they are on FTWiSS to better manage expectations, raise employer awareness and share intelligence on the Scottish labour market ( Chapter 9).
1.6 When it comes to deciding whether to stay on after the 2 year FTWiSS period, many on the scheme who had a positive experience of living in Scotland were interested in staying in the short to medium term (over 3 years) ( Chapter 10 and 11). However, this was dependent on a range of factors, eg employment and the ease with which they could get on to another UK work permit/residency scheme. Some individuals on FTWiSS felt more could be done to provide advice and support during the 2 years, to address some of the difficulties and barriers to living and staying on in Scotland.
1.7 Given the Scottish Government's increased focus on sustainable economic growth and the contribution that population change can play in this, the need for a more explicit set of aims, objectives and targets, alongside improved monitoring and evaluation, for this policy area is important ( Chapter 11).
1.8 The report highlights a number of policy lessons from the FTWiSS experience, including the opportunity to bring different partners together, eg employers and universities, in helping to persuade international graduates to stay on in Scotland.
1.9 Overall, the report argues that the FTWiSS model has much to be learned from and, despite the decision to mainstream the scheme across the UK, there is scope to revise and refocus efforts to open up new opportunities in this area.
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