SDS publishes Annual Report 2023-24
Looking back over 2023-24, the report details how SDS is striving to ensure that individuals have the skills and confidence to get a job and progress in the workplace, that employers have the right skills at the right time to develop high-performing, fair and equal workplaces and that together we realise Scottish Government ambitions to transform the Scottish economy over the next decade.
You can read the Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2023-24 in full.
Alternatively, a summary of key achievements can be found below.
“Against a backdrop of uncertainty in our operating environment and constrained public finances, we are proud to report another year of exceptional operational performance, maintaining strong delivery against our core service targets.
“The challenges and opportunities of 2023-24 underline the fact that the services delivered by SDS and our partners to Scotland’s people and businesses have never been more important.
“We recognise that our achievements are only possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues, Board members, trade union partners and others across the skills delivery landscape who keep a continued focus on securing positive outcomes for the people and businesses of Scotland.
“My sincere thanks go to all SDS colleagues for their unwavering commitment to continue to deliver on the aims of our five-year Strategic Plan in challenging circumstances.
“As we have done throughout 2023-24, we will continue to engage positively with colleagues and Scottish Government on the reform of the skills and education landscape moving forward, as well as work closely with colleagues on our Transform 27 programme which aims to continue to drive costs savings and efficiencies, increased productivity and build greater organisational agility and responsiveness.”
Frank Mitchell
SDS Chair
Reflecting on 2023-24
Goal 1: Industry focussed skills
Lifelong learning in and for the workplace is integral to delivering the skills that the economy needs. SDS’s work under this strategic goal comprises our direct delivery of training, upskilling and reskilling opportunities to individuals in Scotland, including Modern Apprenticeships (MAs). This aims to ensure that people in Scotland have and continue to develop skills which are relevant to the Scottish economy. Achievements included:
- 25,365 MA starts, with more than 7000 apprenticeship opportunities advertised via apprenticeships.scot.
- In-training apprentice numbers of 38,607 as at 31 March 2024.
- A 76% MA achievement rate, which continues the trend in the recovery of achievement rates since the pandemic.
- Further improvements in MA participation across equality groups. Our 2023 Equality Mainstreaming Report describes our progression against the ambitious equality outcomes we set in 2021.
Goal 2: Inclusive Talent Pool
SDS is committed to helping people navigate the changing world of work throughout their lives so they can achieve rewarding careers. Fundamental to achieving this goal is the delivery of all-age, person-centred, and experiential career information, advice, and guidance (CIAG) service. This year, we continued to support our customers to develop the skills and habits they need to navigate their careers, working to address known barriers to participation so that individuals can access the learning and jobs they choose. This included:
- More than 150,000 face-to-face engagements with school pupils P7-S3 in 2022-23 (the most recent school/academic year for which data is available within the financial year 2023/24).
- 2,775 SDS funded, non-college, Foundation Apprenticeships at SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) Levels 4-6, with 8.3/10 likely to recommend a Foundation Apprenticeship.
- Just over 33,000 people accessing our universal CIAG service for adults.
- 68.9% of those supported by the Next Steps programme progressed into education, training, or employment, with 73.2% sustaining that destination for at least six months. This is an increase on numbers for 2022-23 (69%).
- 1,425 individuals receiving a combined 2,636 CIAG engagements through our Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) service.
Goal 3: Invested Employers
Meaningful and effective engagement with employers of all sizes, and their representative bodies, is critical to the achievement of all our strategic goals. We collaborate extensively to encourage employer involvement in the development and delivery of Scotland’s skills system, and to deliver efficient and effective employer services. Through doing so, we aim to create more and better learning and employment opportunities for people. Key work included:
- Through Team Scotland activities, the creation of 2,137 jobs, and an additional 1,219 jobs safeguarded. 245 businesses were supported to either locate for the first time or expand operations in Scotland.
- The Skills for Growth Team supported 54 SMEs to produce a new People and Skills Action Plan to help meet their future skills needs.
- An increase in the completion of work-based learning development projects to 266 (up from 187 in 2022-23) , each working with large employers to expand their participation in Scottish Apprenticeships or industry school engagement.
- Support for 422 unique large employers in Scotland to recognise the benefits of work-based learning opportunities for their organisation.
Goal 4: Intelligence-led System
Scotland needs a career, learning and skills ecosystem which has the insight and agility to adapt in response to the ever-changing external environment and realities of work. Our work towards this goal includes extensive collaboration to help inform and shape the design and delivery of career and skills interventions, ensuring that provision increasingly meets the needs of Scotland’s people, businesses, and economy. Highlights this year included:
- Delivery of core external Economy and Labour Market Insight publications, including a series of Regional and Sectoral Skills Assessment webinars reaching more than 900 people.
- Completion and publication of the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan Work Package 1 report “An Evidence-based approach to Supporting the Transition to Net-Zero”.
- First Draft of the Forth Valley Skills Action Plan presented to partners and a draft of the Regional Skills Collaboration Plan for Edinburgh developed.
- Extensive engagement with Scottish Government and other stakeholders to provide expertise and insight to education and skills reform work, including gathering evidence and insight on skills shortages across 17 sectors to support National Skills Planning with Scottish Government.
Goal 5: Impactful Organisation
SDS has always sought to lead by example, demonstrating the organisational behaviours we understand that lead to high performing workplaces and sustaining efforts to build our organisational resilience, efficacy and capability. By focusing on the outcomes and experiences of both our customers and colleagues, we seek to ensure that we can attract and retain the people we need to deliver impactful services and value for money. Highlights included:
- Extensive colleague consultation on the early phases of our Transform 27 programme - designed to help engage all colleagues in a transition to a new, sustainable operating model by 2027 - and extensive local level consultation on a move to a more community-based delivery approach.
- A ‘pulse’ survey to gain a better understanding of the impact of the Scottish Government reform agenda on employees most directly referenced within reform proposals, achieving an 87% response rate.
- Decreased SDS’s carbon footprint by 51% relative to the 2019-20 baseline which is ahead of the 27% reduction required to be on track for our target of a 67% reduction by 2030.
- The launch of a new ‘Diversability’ employee network and a pilot of targeted additional coaching for colleagues with identified additional support needs.
- Despite budget constraints, we supported 61 young people through our young talent development programmes, including Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships.