A SURVEY issued this week by CBI/Pearson has highlighted that two-thirds of firms in Scotland expect to struggle to fill highly-skilled roles and in particular that 70 per cent said they believed they would need more people with leadership and management talent (“Levy may make one in 10 firms cut apprentices”, The Herald, July 25). One area that is often overlooked when discussing the skills gap in Scotland is the role that non-formal education providers, such as the Scouts, have to play.

For more than a century, Scouting has delivered non-formal education to young people and helps them to fulfil their full potential. While people will not immediately associate Scouting with employability skills but throughout every activity, whether it’s working towards a climbing badge, leading an expedition, taking part in a Scout Gang Show or helping to run a meeting for younger Scouts important life skills such as team-work, communication, leadership skills are developed along the way.

Scouts Scotland welcomes the recent announcement by the Scottish Government of an enterprise and skills review and would encourage business, education providers and the Government to work with non-formal education providers to help meet the gap in leadership and management skills.

Katie Docherty,

Chief Executive, Scouts Scotland, Fordell Firs, Hillend, Dunfermline.