THE Scottish Government has allocated hundreds of thousands of pounds of funding to help train the “next generation of business founders”.
Announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes on Friday, the new Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund is intended to “engage young people in entrepreneurship,” and offers public and private sector organisations grants of up to £250,000 to deliver new and innovative courses and projects to young people.
In total, £885,000 has been allocated to the fund which aims to “inspire the next generation of business owners” by educating under-18s. Applications are open until September 9.
It comes after a Scottish Government commitment, made in June 2023 to implement recommendations in a report co-authored by its chief entrepreneur, Mark Logan, formerly chief operating officer of Skyscanner, on under-representation of women in business as part of a multimillion-pound funding package being delivered this year.
The Scottish Government plans to “establish a world-class entrepreneurial nation,” and Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Forbes said she hopes to create a “more diverse talent pool” encompassing a wide range of backgrounds, to encourage under-18s to choose business ownership as a career path.
Forbes said: “Entrepreneurship is key to a productive and growing economy. Tapping into a more diverse talent pool to drive the creation and growth of new businesses is an ethical and economic imperative.
“Scotland has the potential to be one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies: strong, successful and dynamic.
“The Scottish Government will continue to play its part to make this a reality, which starts with establishing a culture that encourages, promotes and celebrates entrepreneurial learning from an early age.
READ MORE: Plummeting visa numbers threaten extra strain on NHS, Labour warned
“We want every young person to have the opportunity to experience entrepreneurial learning and this funding will help offer the next generation of business founders new and exciting ways to take the first crucial steps.”
Logan said: “This is an essential investment in the future of our country. It is our children and young people who will create the jobs and opportunities in tomorrow’s economy.
“The more we can capture their interest in entrepreneurship now, the stronger that economy will be.”
On Friday, the Scottish Government also announced funding totalling £272,000 would be allocated to eight projects through the Climate Engagement Fund.
Community workshops, podcasts, and green festivals are amongst the activities which will be supported from the latest round of the funding, aimed at increasing people’s understanding of climate change and encouraging individuals to take action.
Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Gillian Martin said: “The race to net zero is one that we must all win, and we know that public support is crucial in order to successfully achieve the transformational societal change required to achieve it.
“As such, it is vital that everyone in our society understands the nature and scale of the climate emergency and has the opportunity to participate and shape decisions about our national approach to tackling it.
“We need as many credible voices communicating about climate change as possible and by supporting grassroots action, the Climate Engagement Fund will help enable individuals and communities to directly contribute to tackling climate change and support Scotland in meeting its target of net zero emissions by 2045.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel