The reform of Scottish Enterprise (SE) has been tough but the organisation’s remit is now clear and in line with changes it has long aspired to, according to chief executive Jack Perry.
In an interview with Holyrood magazine, Perry said: “It’s been very
challenging, very demanding. A lot of people have been extremely busy
working an awful lot of hours. But we are very glad to have the clarity
of purpose that we’ve been seeking for some time.”
Last September, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
John Swinney unveiled the administration’s reform of enterprise,
comprising a strategic forum involving ministers, officials, SE, HIE,
and Visit Scotland, the replacement of the 21 local enterprise
companies with six regional operations and the transfer of local
business support and local regeneration functions to local authorities.
His announcement also included the transfer of most skills and training
elements from the enterprise networks to a single skills body, the
transfer into SE of the business and innovation grant functions
previously delivered by the Scottish Government and a requirement for
the enterprise networks, VisitScotland and the new skills body to share
services where possible.
Perry said that SE had wanted to retain an element of training for
those in work, to more directly link skills with business demand, but
it was satisfied with the close relationship it will have with Skills
Development Scotland.
SE was now embarked on the “hard graft” of implementing the new
arrangements, he said – which involves 1,200 people transferring out
and 200 leaving as part of a voluntary severance programme – as well as
preparing to deliver “the most ambitious operating plan we’ve had”.
Perry said the exercise had been likened to “performing open heart
surgery on yourself while running a marathon”. As well as its
traditional targets, such as for business start-ups, SE was also
immersed in major projects that aim to make Scotland a leader in
business growth across a number of sectors.
Last November, Swinney published the Government’s economic strategy,
which identified five strategic priorities comprising: ‘learning,
skills and well-being’; a ‘supportive business environment’, including
responsive and focused enterprise support to increase the number of
highly successful, competitive businesses, targeted support to business
in the pursuit of opportunities outside of Scotland and the development
of internationally competitive firms, the broadening of business
innovation beyond science and technology alone, the greater linking of
research to business innovation, a focus on key sectors with high
growth potential and a competitive tax regime; ‘infrastructure
development and place’; and ‘effective government’.
“Again, this is something we have advocated for a long time; the
absolute alignment of all branches of Government towards economic
growth. So, if you look at the reform agenda together with the economic
strategy it reinforces that [central] purpose that I have been talking
about: we are quite clearly now an organisation which is focused on
supporting business, including business infrastructure that makes
Scotland a better place to invest, and in particular, business in the
priority industry sectors.”
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