Rural Scotland - skills action plan: process evaluation 2019 to 2021

Footnotes

1. These are set out in detail in the full report on the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland: 2019–2021, which is available on the Skills Development Scotland website.

2. These issues are set out in the full report on the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland: 2019-2021.

3. This commitment is set out in the Scottish Government's Programme for Scotland 2017-18.

4. See the full report on the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland: 2019–2021.

5. Current members of the ISG are shown on the Skills Development Scotland website.

6. This four-fold definition put forward by RESAS was first published in Understanding the Scottish rural economy (Scottish Government, 2018).

7. 'Mainly Rural' includes: Aberdeenshire, Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Dumfries and Galloway, Highland, Moray, Perth and Kinross, South Ayrshire, Scottish Borders.

8. 'Islands and Remote' includes: Argyll and Bute, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands.

9. Scotland's GDP fell by over 20% at the start of the pandemic, although has since returned to 1.3% below pre-pandemic levels, as publicised in the State of the economy: November 2021 report.

10. Findings from the survey are available in the Rural Scotland Business Panel survey: report (2022).

11. These are contained in Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2020-2021.

12. More information can be found on the National Transition Training Fund webpage.

13. For an introduction to the Young Person Guarantee, see Youth Guarantee - No-one Left Behind: initial report (Scottish Government, 2020).

14. According to Scottish Government survey data from April 2022, 30% of Scottish workers in rural areas were working from home at least some of the time.

15. For example, see Why Does Digital Matter? - Scotland's digital strategy (Scottish Government, 2017)

16. This Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population report looked at how the ending of free movement and future UK Immigration policy will affect Scotland's devolved responsibilities

17. For example, see the Royal Bank of Scotland's 2022 report on recruitment activity.

18. SDS shared these documents with IFF, however they have not been published.

19. Minutes from ISG meetings are published online and available here: Previous minutes and reports | Skills Development Scotland

20. SDS shared this document with IFF, however it was not published.

21. For a summarised timeline of ISG activities, see Annex A of this report.

22. This 'ISG Members Survey' (unpublished) captured feedback on a number of aspects of the ISG including its quarterly meetings, subgroup meetings, "Lunch and Learn" sessions and its communications (blogs, newsletters and case studies).

23. More information about the ISG, including its membership and Terms of Reference, finalised in November 2021, is available here on the Skills Development Scotland website.

24. This role is explored in more detail later in the section.

25. The Rural Skills Newsletter is available here on the Skills Development Scotland website.

26. A Scottish Government fund launched in 2019. It offers people who are unemployed or on low incomes a grant to access training in software development, cyber security, and other digital fields. More details can be found here on the Skills Development Scotland website.

27. The blogs that received the most unique views during this period were: The 'Gaelic Skills and Career Pathways'; 'Peatland Skills on the front line of Climate Change'; 'Sparking the Interest of our Young People'.

28. These documents have not been published and are for the use of the Implementation Steering Group (ISG).

29. The most recent Skills Assessment for Rural Scotland is available on the Skills Development Scotland website.

30. The RSA Data Matrix.

31. All Regional Skills Assessments are available here on the Skills Development Scotland website.

32. A few examples include Agriculture; Tourism; Creative Industries; and Food & Drink – Primary Production. These can be found here on the Skills Development Scotland website.

33. This report, available on the Lantra Scotland website, focused on the challenges and opportunities relating to recruitment and skills in the land based sectors.

34. These workshops with agricultural employers explored the challenges and opportunities to attract and retain staff.

35. This research, commissioned by Skills Development Scotland, examined recruitment needs of employers in Highland.

36. For example, the Highlands and Islands Enterprise research on the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which explored a range of economic and labour market indicators, see the full report.

37. One example of this is the Highlands and Islands Winter Survey, with results here on the FSB website.

38. More information on the National Transition Training Fund, which the Scottish Government launched in 2020, can be found on the National Transition Training Fund webpage.

39. This provides individuals the chance to experience haulage. More information is available on the Confor website.

40. This creates work placement opportunities for individuals affected by the pandemic, as summarised in the National Transition Training Fund Year 1 Report.

41. The results are available on the South of Scotland Enterprise website.

42. The first report is available on the Scottish Government website.

43. The most recent Scottish Employer Skills Survey, commissioned by Scottish Government and capturing responses of 3,500 employers, is available on the Scottish Government website.

44. More information on this network is available Scottish Government website.

45. This initiative runs in March every year. More information can be found on the Scottish Apprenticeship Week web page.

46. For example, various case studies have been published by Seafood Scotland and Lantra.

47. For example, ISG members Aberdeenshire Council had an article titled 'Work-based learning is a winning formula for secure careers' published in October 2021, promoting the benefits of Foundation Apprenticeships for both learners and employers.

48. The social enterprise Adhartas employs (mostly construction) apprentices directly, while all HR responsibility as well as apprentice and employer support sits with the local authority. More information can be found on the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar council website.

49. This model, comprising Bord Na Ghaidhlig, HIE, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Argyll & Bute Council, supported tourism businesses in accessing Gaelic speaking apprentices to support customer experience.

50. This industry-led programme sees hotels working together to maximise the learning experiences of the apprentices through the delivery of Masterclasses.

51. See the CivTech Challenge website.

52. 'Webscraping' is a technique where a computer program extracts content and data from websites. This data can then be manipulated and analysed as needed.

53. Search engine optimization refers to the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines

54. The Rural Employers' Toolkit is covered in more detail in a case study in the next section, 'The Broader value and future focus of the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland'

55. This is a virtual leadership, management and supervisory training programme that is designed to motivate and develop top talent to support the sector to recover from the significant impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across the Tourism and Hospitality sector.

56. These include the Women in Agriculture Practical Training Fund, and the Women in Rural Economy Training Fund, both administered by Lantra, and supported by promotional activity such as this short film: 'Rural women benefit from training'.

57. More information on the Borders College website.

58. More information on the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Practical Training Fund can be found on the Scottish Government website.

59. More information on this event can be found on the DYW West Highland website.

60. This event was run by the Construction Industry Training Board, Energy Savings Partnership, Borders College & SDS.

61. There is more information on this service on the Skills Development Scotland website. Case studies have helped to promote this service. For example, see this recent case study on the Isle of Raasay distillery.

62. This is available on the Our Skillsforce website.

63. A couple of individual-focused case studies are available Skills Development Scotland website.

64. My World of Work is Scotland's career information and advice website.

65. My World of Work Live is a set of interactive activities that help young people understand possible future careers.

66. See the Rural Skills newsletter.

67. A summary of the Digital Economy Skills Action Plan (DESAP) can be found on the ScotlandIS website.

68. The (unpublished) Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland (SAPRS) 2022 Progress Update Report contains more detail on the content of the Yammer page.

69. This event, run by Lantra, aimed to raise awareness, and increase knowledge of careers available in Scotland's land based, aquaculture and environmental conservation sectors.

70. This initiative was launched in 2020 by Education Scotland working in partnership with e-Sgoil and industry partners. DYW Live provides live sessions that support learners' development of employability skills, career pathways and industry connections. More information is available on the DYW Live website.

71. These include the Women in Agriculture Practical Training Fund, the Women in Rural Economy Training Fund, and the Borders College's 'Agriculture – not just for boys!' campaign.

72. See the SDS Foundation Apprenticeships Progress Report (June, 2021).

73. This 6-month Pre-Apprenticeship serves as an introduction to land-based industries for leaners. More information is available Lantra Scotland website.

74. An overview of their work can be found on the Scottish Government website.

75. More information on the Scottish Funding Council's Outcome Agreements – which set out what education providers plan to deliver in return for their funding – is available on the SFC website.

76. More information can be found on the Rural Youth Project website.

77. Priority area TC2, within Priority area C: "Develop the current workforce in rural areas through upskilling and reskilling". For more details, see the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland: 2019-2021 report.

78. See more information on the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan.

79. See the NatureScot website.

80. The blog post can be found Skills Development Scotland website.