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ANNEX F: SPECIFIC ACTIONS THAT WILL BE TAKEN TO EMBED SUPPORT FOR SKILLS UTILISATION IN ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Skills Development Scotland

Background

1. Skills Development Scotland ( SDS) has been created to work in partnership with others in an ambitious drive to change the way in which the people of Scotland learn, develop and utilise their skills, and to help the business and organisations of Scotland build their own capabilities and put these skills to the most productive use. The timing of this report provides an ideal opportunity to embed support and messages to encourage employer interest and action in skills utlisation within a new range of services and channels to employers and individuals currently being designed.

2. SDS aims to encourage more effective utilisation within its new services through:

• raising awareness of how more effective use of skills in the workplace can have wide ranging benefits for business, employees and the Scottish economy;
• enabling individuals to identify, apply and develop their skills effectively in the workplace;
• brokering new relationships between employers and employees; including through the Scottish Union Learning Fund, and between employers, employees and Training Providers;
• improving understanding of system issues which lie behind Scotland's skills performance;
• enabling business improvements through more effective up-skilling and re-skilling, better recruitment, retention and progression; and
• effecting improved articulation of skills demand from businesses within the key sectors .

Actions

3. Skills utilisation will be integrated within the following key services being developed by SDS:

• understanding skills utilisation issues in the articulation of industry skills needs matched to more relevant learning programmes and career advice through Skills Gateways in partnership with Sector Skills Councils and GES Key Sectors employers (Spring 2010);
• a refreshed Partnership Action for Continuing Employment service will be introduced (by Spring 2009) ²²;
• integrating skills utilisation messages and matching these with new forms of learning and advice support through the Scottish Employer Service (summer 2010);
• integrating skills utilisation messages and tools on My Learning Space - the SDS web-based resource for skills and learning information. (By summer 2010);
• developing and disseminating key messages to support staff in providing advice to individuals and businesses; and
• co-creating new solutions to improve skills development for the workforce through Skills for Growth (by autumn 2010).

Scottish Enterprise

Background

5. Scottish Enterprise provides a wide range of services to key sectors and growing companies as an Enterprise, Innovation and Investment agency. Through its Organisational Development activities, the agency is able to encourage employer interest in skills utilisation directly. Other services such as the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service and Business Improvement enable it to encourage employer interest more indirectly; this is an area that Scottish Enterprise will develop further.

6. Within Scottish Enterprise's Organisational Development services, the agency aims to encourage more effective skills utilisation through:

• developing the capability of existing leaders through Leadership for Growth and Business Mentoring;
• identifying and developing prospective leaders through the Future Leaders programme and support for management training;
• promoting best practice in human resources and people management through Strategic Training Needs Analysis, Investors in People and workforce development seminars; and
• identifying and addressing growth constraints within companies and key sectors through our bespoke services.

Actions

7. Scottish Enterprise will develop a detailed Skills Utilisation Action Plan by autumn 2009 The plan will identify key tasks to support skills utilisation through its services and is likely to include :

• improving Scottish Enterprise web content to integrate messages about effective skills utilisation (2009-2010);
• reviewing and revising its Organisational Development services to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect the skills utilisation theme (2009 ongoing);
• reviewing its broader range of products and services to identify where they support skills utilisation and may require updating (2009 ongoing);
• increasing participation in workforce development seminars, Leadership programmes, business mentoring and Strategic Training Needs Analysis (2009-2012);
• incorporating skills utilisation within staff Continuing Professional Development for customer facing staff (autumn 2009); and
• developing key messages to support staff in their dealings with companies (autumn 2009).

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Background

8. Highlands and Islands Enterprise targets support towards the business sectors which are particularly important to its area and offers the best potential for achieving sustainable economic growth. An important aspect of this sectoral work includes the identification of any skills gaps/shortages and look to providing innovative solutions to these problems.

Actions

9. Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be looking to embed the key principles of skills utilisation within all the products and services it offers.

10. Highlands and Islands Enterprise will develop a series of Virtual Conferences to enable businesses to respond effectively to the key issues for business survival through the current recession. These Masterclasses will be delivered through Learningworks, the agency's online skills advisory service. All the keynote speakers will promote good practice techniques in the concept of skills utilisation.

Business Gateway

Background

11. Business Gateway was created specifically to offer assistance and advice to people starting up or growing businesses in Scotland, and provides access to publicly funded services. Supported by Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Government, local authorities and other partner organisations, Business Gateway operates online and via outlets across Scotland.

12. One of Business Gateway's main objectives is to support new businesses to start. Business Gateway can offer informed, impartial advice on issues from financial planning to researching potential markets. It provides a programme of free seminars and events where business people can develop essential skills to support the day to day running of their business, as well as provide opportunities for them to meet other like minded people.

Actions

13. Scottish Enterprise has responsibility for two component parts of the business gateway National Framework, namely web content and the national enquiry service. The Scottish Enterprise Skills Utilisation Action Plan will identify actions required in these areas to ensure promotion of skills utilisation.

Partnership Action for Continuing Employment ( PACE)

Background

14. A key outcome of the PACE summit on 9 February was the establishment of a high level strategic group comprising all agencies with an interest in PACE. It is anticipated the first meeting of the PACE Partnership will be held around end of May/early June. The remit of the PACE Partnership will be to look at ways of making the service more flexible and effective. Key areas for consideration include developing the capacity of PACE to support early intervention. This will involve those delivering PACE support working with employers at the earliest possible opportunity to consider alternative ways to avoid redundancy situations.

Action

15. The PACE partnership will explore how best to reflect skills utilisation messages and support in the delivery of PACE services.

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