Glasgow Business . 47
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
INDEPENDENT CONTRIBUTION
Independent schools in Scotland do more than prepare pupils for careers I
ndependent schools in Scotland not only prepare young people for a career in business, they also contribute to it too – to the tune of nearly half a billion pounds
each year, as well as supporting more than 11,000 jobs. Tese are the findings from a report by
BIGGAR Economics which was commissioned by the Scotish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS) to assess the sector’s impact on the Scotish economy during 2013. It shows that the sector’s economic contribution is comparable to the impact of some of Scotland’s top universities, as well as some of the country’s major industries. SCIS represents more than 70 independent
schools which educate nearly 32,000 children. Te research looked at the gross value added (GVA) created directly and indirectly by the sector and the amount of jobs supported, as well
as identifying a range of non-financial benefits to Scotland’s economy. Te report found that schools delivered a
“substantial positive economic impact” to the Scotish economy, directly accounting for 7,513 jobs and a GVA boost of £291 million. Tis is broadly comparable to the GVA generated by the entire Scotish fishing and aquaculture sector (£287 million) and greater than the economic contribution made by the Scotish textile manufacturing sector (£224 million). In terms of jobs, the report said this is almost as many as the total number of people working directly in oil and gas extraction (7,800). Based on the report’s figures, teachers in
SCIS schools account for around 6.4 per cent of the teaching workforce in Scotland and, as an employer, the independent sector is equivalent in size to the sixth largest local authority in the country. Te sector also provided £35.2 million
in financial assistance to broaden access to education. When the report looked at indirect jobs
supported by the sector, such as through school suppliers, the expenditure of school staff and parents of the children that atend independent schools, then this added up to a GVA of £125 million and supported another 2,960 jobs. School capital investment programmes
also have a positive impact on Scotland’s construction sector, generating a GVA of nearly £30 million and accounting for 760 jobs in 2013. And thanks to Scotland’s educational
reputation abroad, the sector is also a significant export earner, generating £27.8 million in revenue from foreign students atending and boarding at schools.
Continued on page 48> >
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60