The Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland (IPPR Scotland), in partnership with the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL), would be delighted if you were able to attend a symposium event on the future of the skills system in Scotland.

Scotland’s skills system has been through a period of huge change over the last five years. Whether in terms of funding, student and learner demand, structural change, or governance and curriculum reform, the Scottish education system, from universities to the training sector, has been at the centre of substantial change.

This symposium event will focus on what next for the skills system in Scotland, and will hear from Jamie Hepburn MSP Minister for Employability and Training, Gillian Martin MSP and Ivan McKee MSP, and will bring together attendees from across the skills system, from learners to employers, as well as representatives from the Scottish Government and relevant bodies and Members of the Scottish Parliament, to focus on the opportunities and challenges the system is facing and the reforms that might be required looking ahead. As a key stakeholder in the Scottish skills system, your attendance and participation would be greatly appreciated.

The purpose of the event is to consider how Scotland’s skills system can build on recent changes and how Scotland’s skills system can fulfil the current and future needs of the Scottish people, employers and the economy more generally.

IPPR Scotland is undertaking a programme of work on Scotland’s skills system. As a part of this we published a report, Jobs and Skills in Scotland, which featured a comprehensive analysis of the skills mismatch in Scotland, identifying the sectors and occupations in which the supply-demand disparity is greatest, what that will look like in the future, and exploring the impact of this on key economic outcomes such as pay, productivity, and poverty. Having developed a picture of the state of the Scottish skills system, we are currently working with FETL,  an independent charity and think tank that works to strengthen the leadership of thinking in further education and skills , to establish what the aims, principles and purposes of the system should be. Overall, we want to consider what purpose and shape the skills system of the future will need to take to meet the needs of the Scotland of tomorrow.

The symposium will be held at Dynamic Earth on 20th September from 1:00-5:00pm. Following introductory remarks from the Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn MSP, the event will be composed of two sessions with opening contributions from Gillian Martin MSP and Ivan McKee MSP respectively.  Gillian Martin MSP previously worked for fifteen years as a college lecturer at North East Scotland College and currently sits on the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee and the Education and Skills Committee.   Ivan McKee MSP previously had a thirty year career in manufacturing and business and sits on the Finance Committee.

We would be delighted if you were able to join us and contribute to this important discussion.

To confirm your attendance please contact Rachel Warren at [email protected] or on 0131 281 0886, at your earliest convenience as places are limited.  If you are unable to attend but feel that somebody else in your organisation may be interested in attending in your place, please feel free to forward the invitation on to them.

Yours sincerely,