Alan McGregor, Professor of Economic Development in the Adam Smith Business School, has been asked by the Scottish Government to provide expert support for two key policy areas.

Scotland’s Future Skill Needs
The Scottish Government has established a new Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board to support inclusive growth in Scotland by bringing about a higher level of alignment across enterprise and skills developments, investments and interventions. At this early stage of development, the Strategic Board is pursuing four key missions. Professor McGregor was asked to prepare an expert review for the mission that relates to Scotland’s Future Skills Needs. The review encompasses an analysis of relevant research and statistical material on the effectiveness of Scotland’s post–school education and skills system, and a critical analysis of the extensive literature on future skills needs.

Closing the Gender Pay Gap
The Scottish Government is committed to maximising economic opportunities for women. As part of this strategic drive, a ministerial review has been instituted to identify a series of priority actions to accelerate the closing of the gender pay gap. The actions will be organised under a range of key themes. These include early years and childcare; school; college and university; employability; employment; economic development; social security; and procurement. Professor McGregor is providing expert support to the process, including the review of evidence papers and the facilitation of a series of workshops involving external stakeholders and civil servants with responsibilities in the thematic areas.

First published: 28 August 2018

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