Scottish Government

SECTION B: RECOMMENDATIONS ON SOME OF THE OTHER MAIN ISSUES

Recommendation 3

a) The Sector Skills Councils should work with employers on providing and promoting Apprenticeships for women in industries where there are skills shortages. ACCEPTED

3.1 The Sector Skills Councils ( SSCs) have a key role in this area and the Scottish Executive has already changed the approval process of all future Modern Apprenticeship frameworks to reflect the need to challenge the SSCs to ensure they are taking positive steps to address any imbalance in gender within Modern Apprenticeships. This, along with a range of specific sectoral projects such as the Computer Club for Girls and the Women into Construction projects, are examples of steps that are already being taken by SSCs to promote their sector to under-represented groups.

3.2 There is however more that can be done and SSCs have a role in encouraging employers to think differently in terms of existing recruitment practises. Indeed, with the change in demographics within Scotland, there will be a need for employers to look to alternative sources of labour and the SSCs can usefully play a role in supporting this agenda.

b) The development of a comprehensive plan to tackle the segregation of jobs, into those mostly done by one gender or the other, should be part of every Sector Skills Agreement.

3.3 Sector Skills Agreements ( SSAs) are employer led. Where employers identify gender segregation as an issue, the SSA will set out how it will be tackled.

Recommendation 8

Schools should consider different methods of teaching to different genders, including single-sex classes or after-school classes, for subjects where girls or boys are under-represented or under-achieving. A good example of this is Computer Clubs for Girls. ACCEPTED IN PART

8.1 The Scottish Executive's recent research, Review of Strategies to Address Gender Inequalities in Scottish Schools (published March 2006), indicates that, as a strategy to address gender and attainment, single gender classes was not always an effective one, with boys 'laddish' behaviour sometimes becoming more problematic.

8.2 Essentially, it is up to schools and education authorities to set their policies on class organisation and teaching style. However, the Scottish Executive encourages them to refer to the recent research and consider the findings and good practice identified therein, in relation to developing strategies to address gender inequalities in schools in a local context.

Current work

8.3 Skills for Work courses are being developed to enable young people aged 14-16 to undertake vocational learning in Further Education colleges and other centres as part of the school-based curriculum. Young people can acquire both the practical skills and attitudes which are needed to be successful in the workplace, including general employability skills.

• The uptake in phase 1 of the pilot has been highly gendered. In the first year of the pilot, 2% (18) of candidates working towards Construction Crafts at Intermediate 1 are female while 3% (12) of candidates working towards Early Education and Childcare at Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 are male.
  
  The Scottish Executive is exorcised about the gender split and is encouraging centres to ensure this element is given prominence. The Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA) also features in this regard through its network of Skills for Work development managers and their visits to centres. The SQA has been requested to supply data on enrolments from centres and will provide an accurate set of data to the Scottish Executive's Education Department by the end of November 2006.

• A DVD describing the activities on Skills for Work courses was shown at a Scottish Executive/ HMIE good practice conference on Skills for Work in June 2006. A new DVD is currently in production. A priority for this second round of filming is to capture footage which challenges gender stereotypes. There will be two versions of the DVD: one for pupils/parents, the other for staff in schools and colleges. Both versions will feature boys and girls participating in non-traditional gender differentiated activities. This feature of the new DVD aims to encourage gender rationalisation in activities traditionally perceived as for males or females.

• An independent evaluation programme is assessing the effectiveness of the course design and delivery, and will include evidence of any gender issues. The first interim report was delivered in Spring 2006, the next is due in Spring 2007, with the final report being due Autumn 2007.
  
  The National Foundation for Educational Research is undertaking this activity, and will visit Portree High School where there is a much larger number of girls taking construction courses than seen elsewhere. HMIE also asks for numbers of male and female pupils undertaking Skills for Work courses in its separate Skills for Work pilot monitoring exercise.

Actions

8.4 The Scottish Executive has commissioned the Equal Opportunities Commission ( EOC) to develop a self-evaluation guide to complement HMIE's How good is our school? framework. The document will aim to provide good practice examples on mainstreaming gender equality in schools under each of the How good is our school? quality indicators ( QIs) as they will be presented in a significantly revised and updated version of How good is our school? that is currently being drafted. We will publish this guide in Spring 2007.

8.5 We will liaise with HMIE during development to ensure the guide accurately reflects the revised How good is our school? framework, including QIs related to Equality and Fairness.

8.6 The Scottish Executive will hold a seminar to launch the self-evaluation guide, alongside the EOC guidance for schools on the Duty. We will also share the findings of the research published in March 2006 at this event. The Executive is aiming to time this seminar for commencement of the Gender Equality Duty, providing content which will assist authorities in developing their response.

Recommendation 9

Careers literature and on-line careers resources that challenge gender stereotypes should be targeted at parents and carers, who should also be invited to attend the employer visits to schools and "taster days". ACCEPTED

9.1 It is acknowledged that parents and carers play a key role in shaping a young person's career choice. In view of this, Careers Scotland consulted with the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and the Scottish School Board Association in formulating a Parents' Strategy. Informal ongoing liaison meetings continue to inform our approach in working with parents and carers.

9.2 Careers Scotland provides a number of resources for parents and carers to raise awareness of the current education and labour market environment. Resources include careers literature and online resources via the Careers Scotland website which includes a dedicated Parents Centre.

9.3 Materials aimed at parents and carers have been audited to ensure the promotion of gender equality and this is carried out for any new materials being developed.

9.4 As previously mentioned Careers Scotland provides a number of materials on-line including Career Box, Make it in Scotland and job search literature such as how to develop a CV.

9.5 As part of mainstreaming equality, Careers Scotland is currently developing an online resource aimed at young people and parents and will focus on raising awareness of equal opportunities in relation to career planning and career choice.

Recommendation 10

a) Government information campaigns should show women in occupations not traditionally taken up by them, and men as parents and carers. ACCEPTED, IN PLACE

10.1 The Scottish Executive will continue to ensure that it places positive gender images in its campaigns and that it conforms to all Government guidelines on matters such as gender, disability, ethnicity, age, social class, etc.

b) The media, in particular drama and advertising, should be encouraged to do likewise. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport should set up 2 high-level groups, of advertisers and key players in television drama, to encourage non-stereotypical portrayals of women and men at work. SUPPORTIVE OF THIS RESERVED MATTER

10.2 The Scottish Executive would be keen to support Department for Culture Media & Sport activity and will raise this matter with the Screen Industries' Summit Group, which includes representatives from the 2 main broadcasters in Scotland - BBC Scotland and STV - and ask them to feedback on this recommendation to their organisations. The Scottish Executive will also raise this with the Gaelic Media Service (responsible for the commissioning/production of Gaelic programming) to endeavour to ensure that Gaelic language television contains similar positive examples.

Recommendation 11

DTI should establish a UK-wide Quality Part-Time Work Change Initiative of £5 million to support new initiatives aimed at achieving a culture change, so that more senior jobs - particularly in the skilled occupations and the professions - are more open to part-time and flexible working. This should start from junior management level upwards, and include the roles considered "stepping stones" to senior management. Eligible projects might be:

• identifying senior role models, working part time or job sharing, who will champion the spread of best practice among managers;
• web-based job matching of those wanting to work part time with those offering quality jobs on a part-time or job share basis;
• job share services to put potential job share partners in touch and aimed at high quality occupations;
• specialist consultancy services to embed quality part-time work;
• e-networks for senior and professional women;
• other initiatives to spread best practice and achieve culture change. CONSIDER

11.1 Unable to comment at this time. Scottish Enterprise is in the process of developing its Skills and Learning Strategy, which involves carrying out Impact Assessment Reviews on its services. Detail is not likely to be known until early 2007.

11.2 The Scottish Executive has however contributed the names of Scottish employers to the UK's exemplar employer initiative (see Recommendation 31).

Recommendation 17

Employers should ensure that their managers, at all levels, are regularly and continually trained on diversity and flexibility issues. RECOMMENDATION IS AIMED AT EMPLOYERS. ACCEPTED BY SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE IN RESPECT OF ITS OWN EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.

17.1 Until recently, Scottish Executive and Agency staff were offered a half-day Diversity Awareness training course. All middle and senior management have now attended this and the Executive is in the process of reviewing and updating the provision. During the review period, the Executive is offering all staff the opportunity to participate in Diversity Days in its Learning Centres (where a number of videos and CD ROMS covering equal opportunities and diversity are held). These Diversity Days will be led by experienced in-house diversity practitioners. As well as specific diversity modules, the Executive's core management skills programme emphasises the importance of taking individual staff needs into account. Finally, a new programme of mandatory line management training for team leaders is to be launched in January 2007 and will include a module on diversity and equalities.

Recommendation 21

a) The Ten Year Childcare Strategy should be delivered with particular consideration of the needs of women who work outside "9 to 5" hours and black and minority ethnic communities. ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE

21.1 Although the Ten Year Childcare Strategy does not apply in Scotland, there is a need to ensure that childcare provision is flexible and accessible.

21.2 The Scottish Executive Childcare Strategy aims to provide affordable, accessible quality childcare for children aged 0-14 in all areas. Scottish Executive funding (£44.256m in 2006-2007) is passed to local authorities, which are responsible, in consultation with their Childcare Partnerships, for allocating funding to meet local needs. Support for disadvantaged parents moving towards or into employment is also provided through the Working for Families fund. This fund supports parents by removing barriers to employment, such as childcare, during transition into work.

21.3 The Scottish Executive recognises the needs of parents who use childcare outside "9 to 5" hours and is promoting and developing the use of Sitter Services. Sitter Services, which provide childcare in the family's own home from early morning until late evening, seven days a week, are particularly helpful for families who work atypical hours. Out-of-School provision is also available both before and after school. In addition, Scottish Executive funding is being provided in Fife to pilot extended provision from 18.00 - 21.00 during week-days and all-day at week-ends. The original Extended Schools Childcare pilot took place in Fife and Aberdeenshire and is being evaluated. The report will be made publicly available later in 2006.

21.4 Although the free childcare line is not applicable in Scotland, we are currently developing a new Scottish website to host information on childcare providers in Scotland. This information includes opening hours and details of out-of-school care clubs and will help put parents in touch with the provision they need, quite often outside the normal "9 to 5". The new website will be live by November 2006.

b) There should be better promotion of the free childcare line. NOT APPLICABLE IN SCOTLAND

Recommendation 23

The Skills Alliance Delivery Group, which has an overview of skills activity including that related to the London 2012 Olympic Games, should ensure that reducing the gender segregation of jobs is part of plans for tackling skills shortages in the relevant sectors, such as construction. ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE/COMMITMENT TO TAKE ACTION WITHIN SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE'S RESPONSIBILITIES

23.1 The Scottish Executive does not have policy responsibility for the Olympics. However, in terms of Worldskills 2011 (being hosted by London) - for which the Executive does have policy responsibility - and, in preparation for the demand for skills for the forthcoming Olympics, the Scottish Executive will ensure that all strategic and operational planning takes account of gender segregation, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Recommendation 26

All organisations promoting entrepreneurship to women should promote, as a key benefit, the work-life balance and flexible working possibilities of running your own business. ACCEPTED

Scottish Enterprise

26.1 Work-life balance is a feature within the Women's Enterprise in Scotland Strategy, Sharpening the Focus, which is integral to the work Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise undertake in encouraging more women to start-up in business. For example, it is covered in Scottish Enterprise's Women into Business Networking service which is delivered across the Scottish Enterprise network as a core service. In these seminars, it is a key theme that runs through the presentations and discussions and it is a theme that is specifically addressed as part of the learning and preparation to start a business.

26.2 Scottish Enterprise will also be highlighting the theme in a specific workshop at their national conference in November 2006 called How to have a business and a life.

26.3 Many of the case studies on the Scottish Enterprise/Business Gateway website and in their printed materials highlight how women address this issue in the context of the way they run their businesses and in their motivations for starting a business.

Recommendation 27

The Department for Education and Skills should ensure that its strategy for the early years workforce considers the levels of pay needed to build a better-qualified workforce, which reflects the importance of higher skill levels to the development and welfare of children, while at the same time keeping childcare affordable for working families. ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE - SOME OF THE DRIVERS SIT WITH UK GOVERNMENT E.G. WITHIN THE TAX SYSTEM

27.1 The strategy for the early years workforce applies in England. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive recently published its response to the National Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce, which sets out action to develop an increasingly professional workforce. The response recognises that a highly regarded, high quality, highly qualified workforce needs to be reflected in terms of earnings. The Scottish Executive also announced that it is providing additional resources for private and voluntary sector providers of pre-school childcare provision to help attract and retain an experienced well-qualified workforce.

27.2 Monitoring the effectiveness of this policy will be a long term action. However, work we are commencing now should start to affect changes in 2008 as the new qualification and the Continuous Professional Development framework will be in place. The increasing level of qualification and professionalism, and improved career structure should, in turn, start to put upward pressure on salaries. Our immediate investment in the private pre-school sector should also have immediate effects in terms of staff recruitment and retention. Changes to these indicators will be identified during the labour market intelligence we gather on the sector annually.

Recommendation 28

The Government should develop a strategy for the social care sector incorporating issues such as pay, quality of care, qualifications of the workforce, and future demand. ACCEPTED IN PART (PAY IS A MATTER FOR EMPLOYERS)

28.1 In November 2005, the Executive launched the National Strategy for the Development of the Social Service Workforce in Scotland - A Plan for Action 2005-2010. The Strategy's aim is to drive the development of the workforce to equip them with the qualifications, skills and knowledge they will need to deliver social services fit for the 21st Century. Employers are required to identify future workforce needs in both terms of capacity to deliver and the skills required. In February, the Executive also launched 'Changing Lives', the report of an independent review of social work of all aspects of social work. An implementation plan was published in June 2006 and all local authorities in Scotland are due to submit their plans on how they plan to take forward the recommendations of the review.

28.2 Positive developments include the following:

• There has been sustained increased funding of £2m per year in Specific Grant funding to local authorities to help staff achieve qualifications/skills;
• The introduction of Voluntary Sector Development Fund and extension to 2008 of £1m funding per year directed at the voluntary sector to help staff achieve qualifications/skills;
• Match funding from European Social Fund to establish two projects 'Achieving the Challenge', again to help staff achieve qualifications/skills; and
• A follow up request to all social service employers on progress and plans towards achieving the 'targets' set in the National Strategy for the Development of the Social Services Workforce.

Recommendation 30

Private sector companies should consider the implications of this report for how they operate in order to make the most difference to the most women. A cross-government UK-wide package of measures should support awareness-raising and capacity building to enable organisations to adopt solutions most relevant to them, which will have the most impact on women's pay and opportunity, including:

30.1 Reference is made to a cross-government UK package. As this is a devolved issue, the Scottish Executive will consider the most appropriate actions to meet the needs of Scotland.

30.2 The Scottish Executive as a partner in the Close the Gap project is raising awareness about the report's findings and recommendations e.g. to those responsible for delivering the Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland. Through this work, Close the Gap will be encouraging the adoption of solutions to impact on women's pay and opportunity within the sector.

a) Promotion of best practice via business links and the business.gov website. ACCEPTED - IN PLACE

30.2 A website socialworkscotland.org.uk is in place.

b) £1 million funding for Investors in People (IiP). This should be used to support the adoption of the IiP Standard by small firms focusing on those growing rapidly, and to market to all firms - particularly in the five "c" sectors - the IiP Profile, in order to spread best practice on equality and diversity, fair pay and reward, and training. ACCEPTED IN PART

30.3 The Scottish Executive is in agreement with the UK response i.e. "No additional £1m for Investors in People (IiP) but IiP UK promoting to small firms and five 'c's will be targeted in Sector Skills Councils' initiatives" and would only add that equality and diversity are inherent within the IiP Standard.

c) Supporting employee involvement in workplace equality development via £5 million additional funding for the Union Modernisation Fund for capacity building to support training and development for equality reps in the private and public sectors. ACCEPTED IN PART

30.4 The Scottish Trades Union Council ( STUC) has developed a toolkit for reps under the One Workplace initiative covering all forms of equality issues. The STUC has not applied for funding from the Union Modernisation Fund due to timescales and lack of capacity.

d) Support for the development and marketing of equality checks. CONSIDER

Recommendation 31

DTI, through partners such as Opportunity Now, should build a set of exemplar companies willing to pilot projects such as:

• a new offer to schools to give girls work experience, in particular in non traditional jobs;
• setting up a new women's network in senior or traditionally male jobs within the company;

• actively promoting quality part-time jobs;
• a recruitment round which supports women returners' development needs including confidence building and other support mechanisms;
• developing career pathways for women working in lower-paid jobs;
• providing paid time off, support and facilities to a network of equality reps; and
• undertaking an equal pay review. SUPPORTIVE - RECOMMENDATION IS ADDRESSED TO DTI

31.1 The Scottish Executive is participating in taking this recommendation forward. The Scottish Executive co-ordinated and submitted examples of exemplary employers in Scotland to the UK co-ordinator. The examples were provided by the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Close the Gap (campaign to close the gender pay gap in which the Scottish Executive is a partner) Careers Scotland and Engineering Scotland.

31.2 Close the Gap (mentioned above) was launched in 2001 to raise awareness amongst employers and employees about the gender pay gap and its various causes and to encourage action to close the gap e.g. by employers carrying out pay audits.

31.3 During Phase 1 of Close the Gap's activities, where there was a very general 'broad brush' approach, it supported a non-departmental public body through a job evaluation and equal pay process, and identified exemplar employers who had conducted equal pay reviews in its campaign literature. It also worked to build capacity within the trade union movement by training over 100 equal pay reps at weekend schools.

31.4 In Phase 2 (January 2006 - December 2007), the project has continued to offer support to a range of companies, and, among other activities, has worked in partnership with trade unions and employers to facilitate equal pay reviews and action to identify and eliminate barriers to women's progression within specific organisations. Action to remove barriers to progression has included addressing a lack of flexible and part-time working within organisations and sectors, taking action to create networking and mentoring opportunities for women, and addressing corporate cultures that are based around male norms. Key focus areas for the project's work are large private sector organisations, with a specific focus on the finance sector, and higher education institutions and Scotland's Colleges.

31.5 An example of the project's finance sector focus is its involvement with those responsible for delivering the Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland. This opens up opportunities to develop a shared understanding of the impact of the persistent gender pay gap on the financial services industry in Scotland. It also offers scope to identify actions to strengthen Scotland's labour market, increase the availability of a skilled workforce and maximise the contribution of women in the financial services industry.

Recommendation 32

Public sector employers should account to a Ministerial Committee and report to a Cabinet Office Steering Group, with representatives from UK-wide public service employers and trade unions, on how they have put the recommendations in this report into practice, in particular on the results arising from their establishment of:

• equal pay reviews;
• time off and facilities for a network of equality reps;
• job share registers for high-quality occupations and e-networks for senior and professional women;
• a network of senior part-time role models to champion quality part-time work;
• career development pathways for low paid part-time workers;
• continuous training for all line managers on flexible working and diversity issues; and
• a coherent approach to schools' World of Work Programme, offering work experience and taster days and encouraging girls and boys to experience non-traditional occupations. CONSIDER

32.1 Scottish Ministers will consider their action.

Recommendation 33

The new Gender Duty should specifically ensure that action is taken on all causes of the gender pay gap including occupational segregation, the impact of family responsibilities and unequal pay. Specified action should include a regular equal pay review and action plan. In seeking solutions to equal pay, public authorities should act in partnership with unions. ACCEPTED IN PART - CONDUCTING EQUAL PAY REVIEWS WILL BE OPTIONAL

33.1 There continues to be Scottish Executive representation at meetings of UK officials about the implementation of the Gender Equality Duty. The Scottish Executive is also working closely with the Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland in the development of the Code of Practice for public bodies in Scotland.

Recommendation 36

Current guidance to the equal pay questionnaire should be altered to make it clear that the Data Protection Act does not prevent the provision of pay information, in order to encourage employers to respond without the need for the employee to apply to a tribunal. Accepted

36.1 The Scottish Executive was consulted about the revision and responded by the deadline of 8 September 2006.

Recommendation 37

The Discrimination Law Review should consider more fully the issues of whether or not to extend the hypothetical comparator to equal pay claims, and of generic or representative equal pay claims. Accepted

37.1 There continues to be Scottish Executive representation at meetings of UK officials on the Discrimination Law Review.

Recommendation 38

The Women and Equality Unit should develop the Gender Equality Public Service Agreement so that the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 target better reflects the themes, ambitions and recommendations of this report. ACCEPTED IN RESPECT OF THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE SPENDING REVIEW

38.1 Promoting equality was one of the key cross cutting priorities of the last spending review and is likely to remain a key theme for Spending Review 2007. The principle of mainstreaming equality across the Executive and the wider public sector continues to move forward. We are developing the tools, systems and targets which will enable the Executive to assess the impact of its work on equality and this includes consideration of the budget. We will continue to work with the Equality Proofing the Budget and Policy Advisory Group, to continue to work towards a budgeting process and a Spending Review process in particular that takes account of developments across the equality agenda.

Recommendation 39

A new Cabinet sub-Committee of Ministers should be formed, chaired by the Minister for Women, to oversee the implementation of our recommendations. ACCEPT NEED FOR MINISTERS TO OVERSEE IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS

39.1 The recommended sub-committee would only have the power to oversee progress on reserved matters and matters for England only. It would not have the power to oversee progress on devolved matters.

39.2 The Minister for Communities, who has overall responsibility for equalities in Scotland, already oversees the implementation of the 77 recommendations highlighted for the Executive's action in the Strategic Group on Women's report, Improving the Position of Women in Scotland: An Agenda for Action, which was published in November 2003. As these recommendations are cross-cutting, the initial response to them of March 2004 and the update of March 2006 were copied to all Scottish Ministers. We now intend to take account of the UK Women and Work Commission's recommendations in the overall review in 2006 of the Executive's agenda to improve the position of women in Scotland. Updates on the reviewed agenda will continue to be overseen by the Minister of Communities and other Scottish Ministers.

Recommendation 40

The Women and Work Commission should be brought together one year from now, to receive a report into progress on our recommendations and to comment on their effectiveness. ACCEPTED

40.1 Scottish Executive will produce an update on this interim report/action plan in February 2007 for the consideration of the Commission.