Brightfire

From the Glasgow Herald today:

A scheme with a proven track record of getting thousands of graduates into work has been scrapped by Scottish Enterprise just as the idea has been adopted across the UK.

The business community is furious about the decision and careers officers at universities are outraged by the scrapping of Graduates for Business (GFB), which had a high success rate over the last decade helping graduates find a career, for a saving of just £1 million over three years. Some fear it could lead to a brain-drain of Scottish talent to England or abroad.

Scottish Enterprise (SE) mounted a strong defence of its decision on the basis that the internship scheme was not delivering the expected benefits in terms of turnover and job creation, and the Scottish Government said it was a decision for it.

However, an internal document cited budget cuts as the reason for the decision, and after the initial approach from The Herald the agency later came back with a statement indicating it was planning to re-introduce a similar scheme in the future.

One source close to GFB who asked not to be named said: “The response from graduates is heartbreaking. They are just devastated that this lifeline has been pulled and many say they are seeking employment outside of Scotland. The risk of a brain drain is truly staggering.”

To read the full article, click here.