Chamber and committees

The Ministerial Review Group for the enterprise and skills review holds its first meeting today. The membership of the group is outlined below. Membership has been drawn from a wide range of key stakeholders, each of whom will bring an important level of perspective and challenge.

Membership:

Crawford Beveridge - Council of Economic Advisers

Frances Ruane - Council of Economic Advisers; ESRI

Ian Walker - Johnson and Johnson

Stephen Boyle - Chief Economist, RBS

Lynne Cadenhead - Bio ID Security; Women’s Enterprise Scotland

Ross Martin - SCDI

Liz Cameron - Chambers of Commerce

Susan Love - FSB

Grahame Smith - STUC

Jim Duffy - Entrepreneurial Spark

Hugh Hall - Chair, Colleges Scotland

Andrea Nolan - Convener-elect, Universities Scotland

Vonnie Sandlan - NUS Scotland President

Councillor Stephen Hagan – COSLA Spokesperson Development, Economy and Sustainability

Mhairi Harrington - Principal, West Lothian College

Professor Sir Ian Diamond - Principal, Aberdeen University

Suzanne Burns – HR Director, STV; Board member, Developing the Young Workforce National Employer Group

The remit of the Group, tabled for agreement at today’s meeting, is attached below. This remit will be published on the Scottish Government website: www.gov.scot/topics/economyGroup Remit.

The Ministerial Review Group will play a vital role in ensuring that the enterprise and skills review is robust, produces sound and evidence-based recommendations, and is driven forward with energy and creativity.

The board will meet three times in total: the first meeting will be on the 12 July 2016, the second and third are planned for 17 and 31 August 2016.

Throughout the review the board members will:

Provide a high level of informed debate and challenge which draws on members’ experience

Use their own networks to test assumptions and gather input and evidence to inform the work of the review

Consider findings and analysis of work and agree strategic direction and next steps

Meet at key stages to discuss the progress and direction of the review, ensuring it remains on track to deliver high quality, robust outcomes.

At the conclusion of this short life working group, the board will shape emerging conclusions and suggest ways in which those should be taken forward.

In conducting this review, the Scottish Government will follow these principles:

The review will be outcome-focused, and help us make a step-change in Scotland’s economic performance and productivity

It will be evidence-based, open and transparent, with an opportunity for everyone with an interest to contribute.

It will put service users at its heart and aim for increased clarity and user simplicity in a system of support designed to meet current and future challenges.

It will be robust and independent of any individual organisation.

It will benchmark nationally and internationally against best practice.

As responses, ideas and options for the way ahead start to emerge, we will take into account that a good outcome needs to ensure:

A common vision and performance framework for all to maximise economic growth and productivity and support more inclusive growth, with full geographical access

A modern system of support that is fit for the 21^st century, simple and clear for users to access, and supported by the right agency roles, services, skills and behaviours.

Affordability – Making the best use of all public resources, financial and other assets to impact on outcomes, with funding matching priority services and flowing through the minimum number of levels and organisations to the user.

Note - For these purposes, ‘user’ means all those who use or work within the Scottish system of enterprise and skills support - whether as students, businesses, service providers, partners - or those that use the services provided by our agencies or otherwise interact with them.