Commenting on the report published today (March 3) by the Cross Party Steering Group on Post Study Work - of which SCDI is a member - Ross Martin, chief executive of SCDI, said:
“With the Scottish and UK Governments increasingly sharing responsibilities for economic levers in Scotland, they should develop a common economic platform in key areas, such as our working age population, and the reintroduction of a post study work route - as agreed by the Smith Commission - should be a priority for this agenda.
“The quality of Scotland’s educational institutions attracts highly-talented young people from around the world, and encouraging and enabling more of them to develop their talents in Scottish businesses will certainly increase growth in productivity, innovation and internationalisation - our key economic challenges - which will benefit us all.
“As the global economy is transformed at an accelerating rate by a Fourth Industrial Revolution of emerging technologies, Scottish businesses need to be able to recruit key skills to compete successfully and we know that they greatly value people who are outward-looking and have the ability to work well with people from other parts of the world.”
The Post Study Work Steering Group Final Report can be found on The Scottish Government website from March 3.
In its recently published report *‘From Fragile to Agile: A Blueprint for Growth & Prosperity’, SCDI highlighted welcoming and retaining international talent as a key recommendation for internationalisation of the Scottish economy, including the reinstatement of Post Study Work Visas for international graduates in Scotland.
Furthermore, SCDI proposed that: “A plan to maximise the benefits of international students across the economy should be developed, with programmes to link them with businesses on a project/internship basis and school/ undergraduate students for cross-cultural exchange, attracting friends and families to visit Scotland, and develop stronger alumni links as ambassadors for Scotland and its products.”