About
Skills Development Scotland is the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland to develop and apply their skills.
Our leadership team
Find out about the SDS Board and our Senior Leadership team.
Our policies
Find out about the SDS Board and our Senior Leadership team.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
A diverse and inclusive Scottish workforce lie at the heart of our goals
We’re proud to be the skills agency for Scotland.
With more than 1,400 colleagues working across the country in schools, careers centres and partner locations, we are passionate about skills development and its contribution to a modern, innovative and prosperous Scottish economy.
We are committed to building a Scotland which champions fair work practices and a diverse workforce.
Working with our partners, we strive to ensure employers have the right skills at the right time in high performing, fair and equal workplaces, and that every individual has the skills and confidence to get a job and progress in the workplace, achieving their full potential.
Our support for employers includes tailored skills advice and funding for workforce development.
Our support helps people find rewarding careers
We also provide careers information, advice and guidance, and work-based training programmes aimed at building the career management skills that will enable them to thrive in a changing economy.
Along with our partners we are forging strong relationships between enterprise and the providers of education and training. This includes championing the wide range of pathways into work, ensuring each route is recognised and valued, while supporting inclusion and diversity in fair and productive workplaces.
We are also committed to providing greater support to school pupils earlier to help them on the path to sustainable and rewarding careers.
How does this work in practice?
Our approach is summarised in the Skills Planning Model.
Working with partners we are focusing on improving the response of education and training to the needs of industry by more closely matching educational provision to need at a regional level.
The information and data we collate informs the planning and investment of future skills provision.