Investing in Scotland's new green workforce

A new partnership approach will be embedded across the education and skills system to ensure employers and government are working together to deliver training opportunities for the new green jobs of the future.

Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation recognises the critical importance of providing the current and future workforce with lifetime access to learning new skills, upskilling and retraining as part of plans to unlock Scotland’s economic potential.

The strategy sets out how public, private and third sector partnerships can work together to help make Scotland’s workforce more agile and support employers to invest in emerging economic opportunities.

This work is designed to help build a fairer and more equal society by ensuring economic transformation tackles inequality and drives up working standards and improves pay.

Actions include:

• working collaboratively with employers and unions to increase investment in upskilling and retraining to better meet the needs of employers and employees in Scotland’s transition to net zero
• supporting and incentivising employees, and their employers, to invest in skills and training throughout their working lives
• expanding Scotland’s available talent pool, at all skills levels, to give employers the skills pipeline they need to take advantage of opportunities
• implementing the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan to align Scotland’s skills system with business needs to reach net zero
• implementing the next phase of the Green Jobs Workforce Academy and launching a new skills guarantee for workers in carbon intensive industries
• developing proposals for a national digital academy to open up access to a range of subjects for all learners

Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said:

“The next decade will be decisive for Scotland’s economy and a key part of achieving our enormous economic potential will be investing in one of our greatest economic assets – our people.

“We want to build on the success of our Young Person’s Guarantee, Future Skills Action Plan and our investment in the Green Jobs Workforce Academy to create a skills system that offers lifetime access to new skills and retraining.

“A collaborative approach across all sectors will support our commitment to lifelong learning to ensure people across Scotland can access the tools they need for the jobs of the future and to participate in the labour market. This will also support employers to access incentives to invest in emerging economic opportunities which has the potential to lead to new jobs, new skills, and new ideas.”

Background

Read the National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Read the Summary

Read the analysis paper

Read Ms Forbes' speech from the launch event at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation has been written in conjunction with business leaders, academics and economists that were appointed to an Advisory Council, chaired by the Economy Secretary Kate Forbes, last summer.