Invest in appropriate and accessible training and reskilling opportunities for professionals

The Scottish Government should work with higher and further education institutions, professional bodies, industry, and suppliers of bespoke training opportunities to create new employment, enable workers in the fossil fuel industries to transition to green jobs, unlock the potential of Scotland's natural and renewable resources, and tackle social and economic deprivation in rural and deprived areas.

For more details see our joint consultation response here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vfcSuH62d0hjuo2VLer_6Qoisi2v1VGs/view

Why the contribution is important

These professionals need tailored, flexible, training and reskilling opportunities (anything from single sessions to whole modules) delivered by subject matter experts and established professionals. Access to these can be enhanced through online provision (i.e. easier access to established experts, greater flexibility for those with caring responsibilities, better accessibility for disabled persons, etc) supported, as appropriate, by face-to-face and on-site activities.

There is a significant gap in the market for this, and one which Pattiesmuir Ltd has been established to help fill, see: www.pattiesmuir.com (website still under development).

by KeithJBaker1 on September 02, 2022 at 01:50PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.5
Based on: 25 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Tony September 03, 2022 at 13:12

    Reads like an ad.

  • Posted by carolynburch September 04, 2022 at 10:38

    Yes, this is an area that is vital to achieve what is needed, not only in practical terms but in terms of public perception and support.

  • Posted by RoddyDuncan September 05, 2022 at 13:01

    This would deliver a range of wins - reskilling the workforce, improving energy efficiency, reducing domestic bills, etc.

  • Posted by MarionGRobertson September 05, 2022 at 13:22

    I agree with Tony's comments above. As I mention elsewhere, is it not premature for commercial lobbying to be taking place in this consultation forum? I understood the purpose of the consultation was to generate ideas rather than provide companies with an opportunity to pitch their products/services?

  • Posted by KeithJBaker1 September 06, 2022 at 11:18

    Hi Tony and Marion,

    Full disclosure. We're a not-for-profit start up that spun out of the group behind last year's 21for21 campaign: https://commonweal.scot/policies/21-for-21/

    Earlier this year we met to discuss our next project and agreed to plan a conference on training and reskilling, currently running under the name 'Engineering Change' and scheduled for June 2023, with some high profile speakers already confirmed. It's not being run for profit and hopefully won't make a loss (organising conferences is a mugs game if you're in it for money) - only one of the team will draw a small income and she's not part of the company.

    However, those discussions and the consultation response I've linked to highlighted a number of areas where three of us with complimentary knowledge, skills and experience saw that progress has been decidedly lacking for various reasons and (over a few drinks) Pattiesmuir was born.

    We're not even a month old yet so the website is still under development, but we'll be posting more information, including who we are, details of our evidence-based approach, and full disclosure statements, very shortly. We currently have no contracts, and our bank balance is negative, with costs being paid from our personal savings. I'm not going to say there's no self-interest here as one of our directors is my wife, who is currently hawking her specialist skills to a large legal firm and wants to transfer to a green job, but we're doing this for the right reasons and have no desire to become the next Elsevier!

    I should add that, looking at some of the ideas here, I can spot a few that I'd bet have vested interests behind them, and I'm on the public record in various places on opposing lobbying by vested interests but, sadly, I've been in this game long enough to know that organisations and companies carry more weight with politicians than most individuals.

    I'm not going to post anything negative here as it's not the right forum but if you check out my website at www.energypovertyresearch.org you'll get a better idea of where we're coming from (EPRi is another spin-out, this time from GCU, non-constituted, funded to the grand total of ~£60 from our back pockets, and doesn't generate any income).

    Hope that helps :)

    Keith
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