The provision of skills information in Scotland and its governance – Skills Investment Plans and Regional Skills Assessments

Abstract

First paragraph: Much of the provision of labour market information and intelligence in Scotland is based on a clear set of multi-level policy frameworks, ranging from local and regional to Scottish, and sometimes, UK levels. Scottish policy is of interest in its emphasis on the process of creating and using skills information to assist economic growth and competitiveness and inclusive growth that tackles inequality. This paper considers some of the ways in which Scottish policies have sought to improve the provision and development of skills information through more effective use of different types of governance and different logics which help to improve the focus and underlying co-ordination of government agencies, employers and other actors.  The integration of policies is needed to support an effective and efficient skills development system. Although there are many definitions of governance, in this paper governance is taken to be the rules, norms and actions around the creation of some examples of skills information in Scotland, incorporating the authority, decision-making and accountability of how this information is created. Related governance systems are likely to be multi-level (supranational/national/regional/local agencies), multi-dimensional (seeking to integrate skills, training/educational demand and supply, economic development, business development policy areas) and multi-stakeholder (public-private-third sector and individuals seeking training) (see Heidenreich et al., 2014). Different variations in governance types may lead to differing results in different locations, so it is important to be clear about the types of governance that are used.