"THE Labour Party plans to split Scotland's main development agency into two, creating a new quango aimed at achieving full employment.The new agency is to cover careers guidance, skills and training, splitting that from the main part of Scottish Enterprise, that would then focus on promoting business start-ups and business growth.The idea will be a key part of Labour's manifesto and election campaign, following a rift between the coalition parties about what to do with Careers Scotland and its 1100 staff, after it was decided by cabinet that it should part company with Scottish Enterprise.
Labour ministers have disagreed with Nicol Stephen, the LibDem leader and Enterprise Minister, over how the split should be handled, resulting in the current non-committal executive consultation on Careers Scotland's future."
Thus, the training functions handed to Scottish Enterprise in 1990 when it evolved from the Scottish Development Agency would be taken away. Back to square one.
But note, this is not simply a matter of re-arranging the deckchairs. Nor is the apparent indecision about Careers Scotland's future adequate justification for the change - that would really be the tail wagging the dog.
The real question is whether it makes sense to separate responsibility for skills and training from other aspects of support for economic development. Nobody thought so in 1990. Do you suppose that Labour and LibDems are thinking about that principle? Or are they just manoeuvring pointlessly around the failed bonfire of the quangoes?
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