The Scottish Government published its new Economic Strategy (GES) on 13 November 2007. The purpose of the economic strategy is to focus the Scottish Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
The Government Economic Strategy (GES) provides strategic direction to Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). How they plan to contribute to the aspirations of the GES is outlined in the SE Operating Plan 2008-11 and the HIE Operating Plan 2009-12.
Reforms to Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise
In a statement to Parliament on 26 September 2007, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announced that SE and HIE would be reformed. The principal aims of the reforms were to make the organisations more responsive and customer focused and to refocus them on the areas where they could have the greatest economic impact: businesses with high growth potential; key industry sectors (as outlined in the GES); and transformational projects of regional and national importance. Responsibility for local economic development was to be transferred to local authorities and responsibility for some skills interventions was to be transferred to the new skills body, Skills Development Scotland.
As a result of the reforms, SE and HIE have:
- Implemented a comprehensive shift in the focus of operations towards delivering the Government's Purpose and strategic priorities
- Completed a massive restructuring and voluntary severance programme, streamlining governance and management structures and making them more responsive to their customers
- Moved to a new regional structure with the removal of 21 LECs. SE's operations are now split into 5 areas (Grampian, Tayside, South, East and West), with a single region served by HIE
- Transferred staff, resources and operations to Skills Development Scotland