Scots firms value young people

13 Nov 2014 03:53 PM

New survey compares Scotland favourably to rest of UK.

More Scottish firms have trained staff in the last 12 months than any other country in the UK according a new report published yesterday.

The UK Employer Perspectives Survey has been produced by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and found the following:

• The proportion of Scottish employers who had recruited someone directly from school, college or university in the last 2-3 years has increased by 3 percentage points between 2014 and 2013
• One in five Scottish employers had offered a work placement to a school pupil in the last 12 months
• 21 per cent of Scottish employers had conducted work inspiration activities in the last year, higher than the average of 18 per cent for the UK as a whole
• 72 per cent of Scottish establishments have offered training to staff, more than any other UK country
• The majority of Scottish employers found that the majority of school, college and university leavers were ready for work
• 17 per cent of Scottish employers who do not currently participate in formal apprenticeships planned to do so in future.

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

“Today’s report is further evidence of the value that Scottish employers put in employing and training young people. In three years of meeting young people and the organisations that employ them, I have heard hundreds of stories about the positive difference that the enthusiasm, hard work and loyalty that a young woman or man can bring.

“While recent youth employment statistics for Scotland have been very encouraging, our ambition is to go further and become one of best performing countries in Europe. Key to this improvement is taking forward the recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, which outlined a blueprint for an enhanced system of vocational training and education. Yesterday’s survey results are very encouraging and I want us to build on this success, working with business to make a further increase in the number of young people recruited directly from education.

“We have already invested in piloting foundation and advanced apprenticeships and a new accolade to recognise employers with a strong track record of investing in young people. I have also announced that Rob Woodward of STV will lead a group to support employer involvement in ensuring our young people can maximise their chances of success and make a fully contribution to the economy.

“I plan to announce further details of how the Commission’s report will be implemented later this year to support our ambitions for a world class vocational education system for Scotland.”

Notes To Editors

The UKCES report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-perspectives-survey-2014.