Brain drain in reverse

The common denominator

"Scotland as a country has everything that's needed to attract the best people from around the world. When we talk about the brain drain from Scotland, we usually forget the drain works in both directions and that indeed we get an awful lot of people coming back to Scotland or coming to Scotland to work. I've never had any difficulty at all attracting the best talent from the world."
Mike Hambly – Former Chief Executive, Digital Animations Group

"What has been very important. . . is the quality and the flexibility of the people that we've managed to hire onto our team. ... we were promised we would find capable, innovative, flexible people in that market and lots of them ...The reason we came [to Scotland] was for the quality of the people and the success of the business here is indicative that we were perfectly justified in coming for that reason."
Amelia Fawcett – Chief Administrative Officer of Europe, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter

What's the common denominator between these two scenarios? In a word – education.

Compulsory Education since 1496

The more telling story, maybe, is the second. The fact that there are an abundance of Scottish high flyers in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Astro-Physics, Biotechnology and Optoelectronics as well as the more traditional professions such as Law, Medicine, Veterinary Science, Engineering and Finance is perhaps more widely understood and appreciated in the international arena. Academics publish papers and attend conferences. Business leaders attend conferences and give presentations. It's in the nature of both 'beasts' to communicate and promote ideas – both are naturally outward-looking.

However, the fact that the broad mass of Scots are educated to a high standard is a more silent achievement. But one that inward investors are increasingly catching on to. Education has been compulsory in Scotland since 1496, and outside of Oxford and Cambridge Scotland boasts the UK's four oldest universities.

Education at the top of the agenda

Education is in the blood and fibre of Scotland. But this is not, and never can be, an area of complacency. Since Devolution and the creation of the Scottish Executive in 1999 education is a devolved power under the jurisdiction of the new Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Executive has placed education at the top of the agenda.

Initiatives to improve and enhance the Scottish educational system range from a £1.15 billion package investing in the refurbishment of 300 schools to the first ever National Education Show held in Glasgow in February this year and the scheduling of the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers to take place in Edinburgh in late 2003 to an ambitious programme for increasing computer access in secondary schools. The target of one modern computer to every five pupils has been achieved and all secondary schools are now connected to the Internet. And last but not least in this short, indicative list is the fact that 2002 is Science Year in Scotland and £5 million has been invested to promote science in schools.

Education is at the heart of Scotland's concerns, for good education not only enhances the quality of life and prospects of Scotland's people, it also creates an intelligent, flexible and forward-thinking workforce. Excellent brains attract other excellent brains and Scotland is an environment where excellence thrives.