Meeting of the Parliament 25 October 2023
Our economy is changing—indeed, it has to change. Living in the midst of a climate emergency, as we are, it has perhaps never been clearer that business as usual, whatever the sector or industry, is not an option. Underpinning that economic transformation must be a skilled and supported workforce that comes from and sustains resilient, co-operative and compassionate communities. Education and the skills development of our workforce and communities are vital to achieving our ambitions across all aspects of our lives.
I thank James Withers for the work that he undertook for the independent review of the skills delivery landscape in Scotland. That wide-ranging review and its recommendations are challenging and thought provoking. I appreciated the Economy and Fair Work Committee evidence session that we had with him recently, and I know that those conversations will continue.
As we have heard, the Withers report warrants a dedicated and detailed response in its own right, which is forthcoming. The structural and operational recommendations speak to important issues such as the need for more strategic working, policy coherence and empowerment of regional and local partners and workforces.
Of course, specific skills are needed to ensure that we deliver the just transition that we want. We need skills in energy but also in areas such as affordable net zero housing. As we have just heard, the construction workforce that is needed for retrofits is a nice example of the urgent need for targeted Government intervention. We must work with industry to ensure that we have the in-work learning opportunities that our workforces will need.
I have one further comment to make on policy coherence—perhaps on strategy coherence, too. We will not meet our legal climate targets, nor will we achieve the just transition or creation of the clean, green economy that we want, if the different components of work do not join up. Agencies and industry are calling for that, too, so I am hopeful that the green industrial strategy will provide coherence, alongside the updated climate emergency skills action plan and just transition plan. We need to identify skills-balancing opportunities and accelerate investment in skills, as we have already heard from other members. The fair work agenda, which was highlighted by Colin Smyth, must be central to that coherence.
I highlight another important area that we cannot overlook as we create the strategic landscape for our future economy: that of gender inequalities and occupational segregation. I am grateful to Close the Gap for the conversations that I have had with it about that. Occupational segregation is all too apparent in our labour market. Women are concentrated in low-paid, undervalued and increasingly precarious jobs. They are often low-carbon jobs, but they are overlooked when we talk about net zero skills and jobs.
The skills system in Scotland reinforces patterns of occupational segregation, as does the modern apprenticeships system. Women are vastly underrepresented in the energy sector and in green jobs more widely, and sectoral skills shortages are correlated with occupational segregation. Such labour market rigidity must not be sustained.
As we look to reform the skills landscape in Scotland, I hope that we will take seriously the opportunity to get rid of gendered patterns of skills acquisition and employment, so that we do not further entrench occupational segregation and gender inequalities across our workforces in different sectors.
I appeal to the minister and to all members in the chamber that we take seriously the calls not to be gender blind as we undertake reform of our skills landscape; that we take seriously the calls for genuine political leadership for that work to happen, and for it to happen at pace; and that we heed the calls for strategic and policy coherence within and across sectors. If we get that right, it will make so much easier our ambitions to create and sustain an economy that cares and provides for everyone.
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