Towards ambition 2020: Skills, jobs, growth for Scotland – Expert advice from the UK commission for employment and skills

The UK’s future prospects – our route out of recession, our chances of a successful recovery, and sustainable economic progress thereafter – depend on the industries and jobs we are able to create, and on having the skilled workforce we need to do those jobs well. As we seek to recover from recession, we need more people in work and more people in productive work. We need more businesses, and more successful businesses, offering more and better jobs. And we need more and better skilled people to get us there and keep us there. There is little that is more important than equipping ourselves with the skills we need, for the jobs we need, for the successful businesses of tomorrow. The recession also provides an unparalleled opportunity to reform our employment and skills systems – to ensure they are equipped to deliver the calibre of services that will make us world class.