2. A focus on progression, pay and productivity - delivering clear outcomes at the national level
The skills system as a whole should be focused on improving Scotland’s rates of career progression, pay and productivity, moving to an outcome-based approach around these three Ps.
3. Progression Agreements - delivering outcomes at the classroom level
New tripartite agreements between learners, employers and skills providers should be introduced. Employers would agree to a form of career progression if learners meet certain learning outcomes, and in return the skills provider would fund provision (through public funding). This would bring a focus on progression and a test of learner and employer demand to the micro level.
4. Career Pathways - learner and employer co-design
Career Pathways should be developed in Scotland that outline the education, qualifications and skills required to progress through a range of careers, co-designed by learners and employers.
5. Qualifications review - improving flexibility and transferability
Skills qualifications should be reviewed to ensure they remain fit for their purpose – particularly in relation to FE – to explore the ability to modularise and place online more of the system, and to open up the transferability of qualifications across the full range of learning routes.
6. Innovation Academies - driving improved innovation and productivity through the skills system
Innovation Academies would be sector based, and would be tasked with driving productivity increases, and in taking the work undertaken by colleges and skills providers every day and harnessing its potential to bring innovation to business practices in Scotland.
7. Business investment, Apprenticeship Levy and Business Taxes - the specific role of employers
Business investment has been declining across the UK. With the introduction of the UK-wide Apprenticeship Levy we need to see investment increase, and further work to encourage and enable employers to adopt high-skill business models. To encourage this, the Scottish government should consider how business tax allowances could be used to encourage investment in skills by employers.
8. Progression Unit – tackling the ‘progression gap’
The report identifies a ‘progression gap’ – the low levels of career progression for low skilled workers in Scotland – which we suspect is related to the attainment gap at school, and the fair access gap in post-16 education. Improving progression rates will also work to tackle rates of in-work poverty and drive social mobility in Scotland. A new Progression Unit would be tasked with researching, monitoring and evaluating activity designed to close this progression gap.