Inclusive approach can help employers fill skills gaps and boost business performance

Scottish employers can build a stronger workforce with the skills their business needs by taking an inclusive approach to skills, training and recruitment.

The Open University (OU) in Scotland will host a major event in Edinburgh looking at the value of a diverse workforce and how to build one, focusing in particular on the role of Graduate Apprenticeships.

Speakers from the OU, which has just been awarded the right to deliver a larger number of Graduate Apprenticeship places across more programmes by Skills Development Scotland, will share the University’s long experience of supporting employers and workers from all types of backgrounds to gain critical skills.

Announcing the event, which will take place on Thursday 7 March at Edinburgh’s Hilton Carlton, Susan Stewart, Director of the OU in Scotland, said:

“This year marks our fiftieth anniversary. That’s fifty years of widening access to quality education, supporting people from all over Scotland to develop their skills and boosting business productivity, creativity and performance. One of the things we’ve learned is that a skilled and diverse workforce brings real rewards to business.

“Our preference is always to work in partnership with others to reach more people and give them the best possible support, and we want to share our knowledge and experience with as many employers as possible.”

The OU’s open access policy – no prior qualifications are required for most OU courses – opens up the possibility of study to everyone with the potential to learn, regardless of their educational history or background.

Representatives of Skills Development Scotland, the national skills agency, and Equate Scotland, which works to get more women into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers, will also speak at the event, sharing key tools, ideas and resources to enable employers to diversify their workforces.

Attendance is free and employers interested in attending the event can find more information, including how to sign up, here.