Scotland: Smart & Successful

First of all, some basic facts about Scotland:

• Scotland covers 79,000 km and has a population of over 5 million. It forms part of the UK but has its own distinct identity and its own Parliament in Edinburgh. It has several regions with their own distinct geography, opportunities and mind-blowing scenery.



• Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. It is frequently placed in one of the top five most desirable places to live.



• Half a million people live in the Highlands an Islands, enjoying truly beautiful scenery and a plethora of leisure activities such as climbing, golf, skiing, white-water rafting, ice-climbing, surfing and yachting.



• Over 1,500 foreign owned companies have chosen Scotland as their base from which to serve their European and world-wide customers, including IBM, esure, and Goldfish.



• Scotland has everything to offer, from vibrant cities such as Inverness, capital of the Highlands, and Glasgow, a European City of Culture, to the stunning scenery of the mountains and lochs.



• Its geographical position provides a great base to travel to Europe and the US. London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Oslo and Dublin are an hour's flight away. There are regular services to cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and New York. Scotland has good road and rail connections, plus links to the hundreds of islands via fast ferry services.



• The average commuting time to work is 20 minutes!!!

So what challenges does Scotland face?

Examples include:

• Scotland has an aging population. It needs more people coming to live and work in it.
• It needs to create an environment where potential high growth sectors can flourish.
• Many businesses need to broaden their outlook and operations. Companies need to buy from Scotland and also choose to invest in it.
• It needs to encourage the development and retention of businesses in rural areas.

So what is Scotland doing about such challenges and opportunities?

The Scottish Executive lays out its objectives in its strategy A Smart, Successful Scotland. The Operating Plan 2005-2008 Ambitious for Scotland produced by Scottish Enterprise outlines its priorities to achieve them.

This can only be good news for you as partners in Scotland work together to ensure that such priorities mean more employment opportunities, plentiful of chances to learn and train for the future you want and increased connections with the rest of the world. Already there have been signs of success: