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STV CEO to chair National Invest in Young People Group.

Rob Woodward, chief executive of STV, will lead work to support employer involvement in developing Scotland’s young workforce.

Mr Woodward will chair an expert group from industry, local government, further education and trade unions to oversee the establishment of a network of regional employer-led groups, a key recommendation of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.

The groups will input to the Government’s programme to enhance Scotland’s system of vocational education and support employers to make a more structured, long term commitment to education and training.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance said:

“The Scottish Government has committed to an ambitious programme to improve our approach to preparing young people for the world of work. The establishment of the National Invest in Young People Group, led by Rob Woodward, is an important step toward putting employers at the heart of this new approach.

“We already have many examples of employers making a significant contribution to the development of young people and I know many more want to do more. Encouraging and enabling employers to engage with education and to recruit young people must be a priority if we are to bring more young people into the workforce and grow the economy.

“While recent youth employment statistics for Scotland have been very encouraging, our ambition is to go further and see Scotland become one of best performing countries in Europe.

“I am working with partners in local government and elsewhere to finalise an implementation plan for the Developing the Young Workforce Programme. I will publish these plans by the end of this year.”

Rob Woodward said:

“A key recommendation of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce is the establishment of an industry led regional network to improve engagement between employers and the school and college sectors.

“I am delighted to chair the national group which will oversee the development and delivery of the regional network and take a lead in establishing a culture of partnership which will improve the prospects and opportunities of young people and enable them to secure gainful employment and make a contribution to sustainable economic growth.”

“The Group I have agreed to chair will very much be focussed on delivery and I will spend the next few weeks assembling a group drawn from industry, local authorities, colleges and trade unions.

“I am delighted to be a part of this important work.”

Notes To Editors

Further detail on the National Invest in Young People Group will be announced in the coming weeks.