Revamped Scottish Enterprise has a clearer vision on growth

SCOTTISH Enterprise is no longer "all things to all men" and will now concentrate on the Scottish Government’s key objective of raising sustainable growth levels.

That is the promise today from Jack Perry, the economic development quango’s chief executive, as he unveils Scottish Enterprise’s threeyear business plan.

Perry claims to be satisfied that the slimmeddown body is "fit for purpose" after losing responsibility for Careers Scotland, skills and learning, local regeneration and the Business Gateway schemes.

As a result of decisions by ministers to hive off these activities to separate bodies or local government, SE’s budget will fall from £329 million for 20078 to £283m in 201011. In the business plan, published today, SE states that because of the budget reductions it will be "prioritising activities that generate the biggest economic return on our investment".

According to the plan, SE will continue to "seek greater leverage from the private sector".

However, in a warning of potential job losses, it adds: "Tough decisions will have to be made in the full knowledge that not all of these decisions will be popular.

"For example, we intend to reduce our salary costs by at least £10m per annum (14 per cent]."

According to the business plan SE will now concentrate on:

&149 Enterprise – being responsive and focused on enterprise support, helping companies and industries to reach their potential;

&149 Innovation – stimulating innovation to support business growth including exploiting new products, processes and technologies;

• Investment – helping to create the right conditions for growth with companies and industries having access to property, markets and finance to help them grow.

Perry told The Scotsman he was pleased that SE could now concentrate on its key objectives.

He said: "We were all things to all men. That is no longer the case. We now have a real focus that we have been looking for for a long time on Scotland’s enterprise environment and investment agenda."