Commenting on today’s Programme for Government, Lee Ann Panglea, Head of CIPD Scotland and Northern Ireland, said:

"CIPD Scotland welcomes the ambition set out by the First Minister in today’s Programme for Government. We are delighted that creating new high-quality green jobs, and up-skilling and re-skilling employees is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s programme. We know that tackling unemployment and filling skills gaps will be crucial for rebuilding the Scottish economy and planning for the future workforce.

"Job quality is at the heart of the CIPD’s purpose to champion better work and working lives. Fair work is fundamental to individual wellbeing, supports a fair society and creates motivated workers, productive organisations and a strong economy. We urge policy-makers, employers and people professionals to give careful consideration to ensure that we are not just aiming for more jobs but better jobs."

On skills... 

"The £45 million investment in up-skilling and re-skilling through the National Transition Training Fund and the Flexible Workforce Development Fund will help to ensure that Scotland’s workforce is equipped with and can continue to develop flexible lifelong skills to meet the needs of a changing labour market both now and in the future."

On opportunities for young people... 

"We also welcome the announcement on the Youth Guarantee Scheme which will ensure that 16-24 year olds across Scotland are guaranteed a place in education, training or a job. Along with additional investment in Scotland’s apprenticeship programme, this will help develop our talent pipeline and the workforce of the future."

On flexible working... 

"We were delighted to learn about the focus on flexible working and working from home which has so many benefits for both employers and employees, from improving employee job satisfaction and loyalty, to reducing absenteeism and improving wellbeing, which is more important now than ever. Our recent Working Lives Scotland report showed that 72% of people who had flexibility were satisfied with their job – significantly more than those who didn’t have flexibility."

CIPD Scotland is delighted to partner with Timewise on a new Scottish Government funded project to develop and sustain a fair flexible work programme for Scotland.

If you wish to reproduce this press release in full on your website, please link back to the original source.