While we can’t yet predict the full economic and labour market impact of the pandemic in Scotland, this parliamentary session’s last budget is an opportunity to look beyond COVID-19. This is the key message from CIPD Scotland, the professional body for HR and people development, in its Scottish Budget submission. 

Key CIPD Scotland recommendations for the Scottish Government are: 

• Rollout the People Skills small business support model across Scotland 
• Announce further funding rounds for the National Transition Training Fund 
• Provide ongoing support for fair work across government and its agencies 
• Introduce enhanced Individual Learning Accounts
• Explore options to close the gap between parental leave and funded childcare

The submission, sent today to Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, sets out a series of public policy recommendations aimed at responding to the impacts of the ongoing pandemic, alongside ideas that can help with Scotland’s recovery throughout the next financial year and beyond.

Job quality, skills development and inclusion are the key areas the submission focuses on, with recommendations around further support for fair work across Scottish Government and its agencies, more support for upskilling and help for those with caring responsibilities.

CIPD Scotland’s submission follows last week’s publication of the Skills to Grow report, which makes the case for enhanced Individual Learning Accounts to be rolled out in Scotland – a key policy recommendation for the Scottish Budget.

Lee Ann Panglea, Head of CIPD Scotland and Northern Ireland, said:

“The upcoming Scottish Budget will have to be delivered in the most challenging of circumstances.  

“Yet, it will arguably be the most important budget of this parliamentary session. It will need to outline further measures to deal with the rapidly escalating economic impact of the pandemic, but it will also need to start paving the way towards a new post-COVID economy.

“At the CIPD, we will keep making the case for job quality, skills development and inclusion to be at the heart of these plans.”

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