The 20th National Economic Forum

Driving Forward the Rural Economy

You are invited to attend the 20th National Economic Forum which will look at some of the strategic themes to consider ways to build resilience, increase capacity, ensure sustainability and maximise opportunities for growth in the rural economy.

As part of this conference at Easterbrook Hall in Dumfries, the First Minister will deliver a keynote speech alongside addresses from Lindsay McQuade, recently appointed CEO Scottish Power Renewables, and Steve Dunlop, currently Chief Executive of Scottish Canals . Additionally, Alain Dupeyras, Head of Tourism in OECD will present on innovation in rural areas.There will also be an opportunity to engage with both the First Minister and other Ministers in Q&A sessions and group discussion sessions.

Those smaller group discussions, facilitated by Ministers and business leaders will provide an opportunity to explore particular issues in more depth. More detail on each discussion group is provided below and further information will be made available on the groups closer to the event.

Discussion group 1: Creating a new Enterprise Agency for the South of Scotland

NEF in Dumfries provides an opportunity to have a specific discussion group on the Scottish Government’s plans for the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency. This will form part of the pre-legislative consultation process on the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work launched the consultation on 15 March to run for 12 weeks until 5 June. A series of community and business events are taking place across the South of Scotland during this process to complement the formal consultation. This discussion group will enable Ministers to engage and hear stakeholder views.

Discussion group 2: National Council of Rural Advisers: ‘Changing the Rules of the Game’

The National Council of Rural Advisors (NCRA) is an independent group, established in June 2017 by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MSP, to: Provide advice on the implications of Scotland potentially leaving the European Union (EU) as part of the UK; and, Provide advice and recommendations on future rural policy and support which can help create a vibrant, sustainable, inclusive rural economy. The NCRA wish to engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to help shape their recommendations. This discussion group wishes to engage attendees with their experiences of conducting business in the rural economy, and explore the barriers or progress they have encountered in the current policy environments.

Discussion group 3: Developing the Young Workforce – Building a bridge between education and employers

There are many factors which impact on the choices made by young people and how they identify the opportunities available to them in education and the labour market. The challenge for us is to ensure that those opportunities are relevant, readily available, and to ensure young people are well supported in the choices they make. The Scottish Government wants a Scottish education system that employers play an active role in shaping. We want employers to benefit directly by recruiting from a deeper talent pool created by them facilitated by a network of industry led DYW Regional Groups. We want young people to benefit by making choices that are better informed by the needs of employers and the economic opportunities available to them. This discussion group will explore actions to support the on-going development of the DYW Regional Group, specifically what further support is needed for those in our rural regions.

Discussion group 4: Energy supply chains

The Scottish Government’s recently published Energy Strategy sets ambitious targets for renewable energy and underlines the role of Scottish industries in achieving these. This will provide more opportunities right across the energy supply chain – from manufacturing and engineering to the development of new technologies. This discussion group will explore actions needed to support our industries and workforce, and consider the steps that they can take themselves, to ensure that we maximise the benefit of our renewables industry for Scotland.

Discussion group 5: Digital opportunities in rural economies

Technology is transforming the ways we live our lives. It connects us in new and different ways. It allows us to develop new products and services; to collaborate; to access information in new ways; to develop successful, global businesses; and can help us reduce the costs and increase the quality of public services. The advantage of being digitally connected is that location should not matter. Digitalisation affords individuals, small businesses and communities opportunities that previous industrial and manufacturing booms did not. The big question is how do we exploit this opportunity? This discussion group will provide an opportunity to hear from those who have successfully used existing digital technologies to grow and enhance their businesses. This will not focus on connectivity but rather will focus on using available technology and being safe doing so. There will be opportunities to explore how to make better use of digital technology to help grow your own business, or do things more effectively, whilst maintaining safe and secure technology.

Discussion group 6: Natural Capital

Traditionally, we used to think that land was only valuable if we could extract market based commodities from it, for example growing crops/timber or rearing cattle. We now understand that our land is so much more valuable than this. It stores and regulates water, locks away carbon, provides recreation and tourism opportunity, cycles nutrients and even provides a sense of identity that is synonymous with Scottish products around the world. Natural capital thinking allows us to think about the total value of our land and not just the basic traditional economic value. Natural capital can be defined as the stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things. It is from this Natural Capital that humans derive a wide range of services, often called ecosystem services, which make human life possible. Businesses depend on natural capital directly and indirectly – it directly accounted for 4.7% of Scottish GDP and 66,000 jobs in 2011. It is also vital to the £5bn that tourism contributed to Scottish GDP in 2013 – with over 200,000 people being employed in tourism-related industries. This discussion group will focus on securing the long term economic growth of Scotland’s rural economy through the adoption of natural capital approaches. It will consider how using a natural capital lens can open up new markets for rural businesses to provide environmental services for the benefit of society, and what enabling mechanisms should be put in place to maximise uptake.

Discussion group 7: Sustainable Tourism

Tourism is a cornerstone of Scotland’s economy, and is vital to the economic success of towns, cities and regions across the length and breadth of Scotland. It’s an integral part of our economic strategy and, as the other sessions show, it links into issues like digital connectivity, Developing the Young Workforce, skills and infrastructure. This discussion group will focus on continuing to secure sustainable growth in Scotland’s visitor economy: helping to secure opportunities and address challenges in the future. It will provide information on the actions by the Scottish Government and partners to deliver the current Tourism Scotland 2020 strategy, but will also encourage discussion on the future priorities for tourism in Scotland, particularly in rural economies. The aim is to further strengthen the collaborative, approach between the tourism industry, the Scottish Government and partners in framing the evolving strategic context and policy programme for tourism in Scotland.

A full list of Ministerial and business speakers will be made available shortly, with Ministers attending including:

First Minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon MSP

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Constituion, Derek Mackay MSP

Minister for Business Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse MSP

How to Register

You can register for the full event via the "Register" button and by selecting which workshop you wish to attend from the list provided. You cannot choose to attend simply the event or discussion group alone. Please note that all the discussion groups run at the same time which means you should register for ONLY ONE.

Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016

The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 has now been fully commenced and the Lobbying Register is operational. That Act requires any regulated lobbying of MSPs, Scottish Government Ministers, special advisers, and the Permanent Secretary to be registered on the Lobbying Register. However, contributing to the National Economic Forum may not normally constitute regulated lobbying, as participation invites companies to share information about their experiences or sectors, on specific topics within the context of the agenda. Nonetheless, you should note that it remains the responsibility of attendees to determine whether the nature of their participation triggers a requirement to register under the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. Scottish Parliament guidance, FAQs and common scenarios are available here including a helpful information leaflet.

Data Protection

The Scottish Government will use the data provided when registering to plan for attendance at this event. The names and associated company details of those signed up to attend specific discussion groups may be shared with Ministerial hosts and external facilitators in advance of the event, but contact details will not. Contact details will be used to share relevant information with attendees in advance of the event, as well as to request feedback afterwards. When registering, you will be asked if you are willing for your attendance at this event to be published on the Scottish Government’s website. Additionally, you will be asked if you are willing for your details to be retained by the Scottish Government so that you can be notified of future, similar events. Please be aware that you can withdraw your consent for these details to be retained at any time. You have the right to be confident that when the Scottish Government asks for, holds or shares your personal data, we will do so responsibly and in accordance with data protection legislation. You can read more about the Scottish Government’s policy on personal data here.