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Regional Profile Livingston and West Lothian

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Overview of Livingston & West Lothian Economy of West Lothian Workforce Skills Addressing Youth Unemployment Summary

Livingston and West Lothian

Regional Profile:

Overview of Livingston & West Lothian History The area around Livingston was previously an important shale oil area, the world’s first oil boom occurred in West Lothian. This was based on oil extracted from shale, and by 1870 over 3 million tons of shale was being mined each year in the area around Livingston. Scotland’s New Towns Act was passed in 1946 to ease the overcrowding and Livingston was one of five new towns created. With excellent road links and rail links offering four trains an hour between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Livingston has grown from strength to strength attracting new businesses, housing, schools and excellent retail and recreational facilities. Livingston and West Lothian are twinned with: • Grapevine, Texas, United States, • Hochsauerlandkreis, Germany.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Livingston & West Lothian

Regional Profile:

Overview of Livingston & West Lothian Demographics

Livingston & West Lothian

West Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a historic county. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire. • Livingston is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland.

• West Lothian has a higher employment rate (74%) than the Scottish national average (71%).

• It is about 15 miles (25 km) west of Edinburgh and 30 miles (50 km) east of Glasgow. • West Lothian has more employees (68%) than the Scottish average (62%). • Population of Livingston 56,269 (2011 Census). • The 2013 population for West Lothian was 176,140; an increase of 0.1 per cent from 175,990 in 2012. The population of West Lothian accounts for 3.3 per cent of the total population of Scotland. • A slightly higher proportion of West Lothian residents are economically active (80%) in comparison with Scotland (77%).

• There are less economically inactive (20%) in West Lothian than the Scottish average (23%). • In general, a higher proportion of those who are economically active are in full time employment in West Lothian compared to Scotland. There are less people in part-time work in West Lothian compared to the Scottish average.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Overview of Livingston & West Lothian

Key Facts West Lothian:

Connectivity of West Lothian

• 60% of Scotland’s population within a 60 minute radius

60% of Scotland’s population and 54% of businesses are within one hour’s drive of West Lothian.

• 38 is the average age Travel time to cities/airports/ports • 23% of the population under the age of 18, the youngest in Scotland • 30% lower property costs than Edinburgh for office space • 9 universities within easy access • 4,500 firms with strengths in technology, software, healthcare, food, packaging, engineering, construction, distribution • West Lothian unemployment (November 2014) 2,182 – 1.9%

Destination

Miles Travel time by car

Edinburgh City

16 32 mins

Glasgow City

35 45 mins

Edinburgh Airport

12 23 mins

Glasgow Airport

43 52 mins

Glasgow Prestwick Airport

66 1 hour 18 mins

Rosyth Port

19 30 mins

Grangemouth Container Port

25 36 mins

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Economy of West Lothian

The West Lothian economy is largely made up of 7 key sectors Within these sectors almost 70% of West Lothian’s workforce is employed, with the remainder employed in the public sector and smaller industries. • High Technology and Biotechnology • Computers and Electronics • Distribution and Logistics • Business, Customer and Financial Services (including Contact Centres) • Manufacturing • Retail • Food and Drink

Industry (West Lothian)

Number

Retail Health Manufacturing Business admin & support services Construction Information & communication Wholesale Education Transport & storage Public administration & defence Professional, scientific & technical Accommodation & food services Arts, entertainment, recreation Motor trades Financial & insurance Property Mining, quarrying & utilities Agriculture, forestry & fishing

9,200 12.3% 8,900 12.0% 7,800 10.5% 6,500 8.7% 5,800 7.8% 5,100 6.8% 4,700 6.3% 4,300 5.8% 4,100 5.5% 3,500 4.7% 3,400 4.6% 3,200 4.3% 2,700 3.6% 2,300 3.1% 1,700 2.3% 600 0.8% 300 0.04% 200 0.03%

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Percentage

Regional Profile:

Economy of West Lothian Retail, health and manufacturing are the three largest sectors in West Lothian West Lothian’s industry strengths relative to Scotland are currently in information and communication, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, construction and transport and storage. The Scottish Government has identified six industrial sectors which provide particular opportunities for economic growth. West Lothian has a strong presence in food and drink, life sciences and tourism. West Lothian also has key strengths in enabling technologies such as electronics and precision engineering. West Lothian has over 74,000 jobs and 4,100 registered firms in the area. 67% of workers in West Lothian reside in the area which demonstrates the level of employment opportunities.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Livingston & West Lothian

Regional Profile:

Economy of West Lothian

Jobs and Investment – Livingston & West Lothian The West Lothian Economic Growth Plan (WLEGP) has confirmed an award of £170,000 to help Livingston based SynGro to create a new Research and Development (R&D) Centre at Deer Park. The new centre will allow the company to increase the number of employees significantly. Since moving to Deer Park the technology business has already employed several additional staff for the new facility. Linlithgow-based Calnex, has been awarded a grant of £60,000 from the WLEGP to support a move into a new marketplace and taking on new staff. The company designs sophisticated test and measurement solutions for telecommunication network equipment manufacturers and network operators. It now employs 52 people in West Lothian, and is committed to taking on graduates and training them within the business.

Livingston & West Lothian

Apprenticeship programme which will train local young people Livingston-based, Pure Flour Power Ltd has received an award of £16,000 from West Lothian Economic Growth Plan. Their bakery produces artisan bread and bakes. The business started small and has since grown rapidly over the last two years and is now setting up an apprenticeship programme which will train local young people. Livingston-based Almond Engineering has been awarded a £50,000 grant by the West Lothian Economic Growth Plan, as part of a project to expand and develop its capacity and capabilities to serve the oil and gas industry. Almond Engineering, which now employs 25 people, supplies a broad cross-section of industries that also includes food, life sciences and renewables. Touch Bionics, the Livingston based prosthetic hand pioneer, has said its revenues rose by 10% last year to hit £13.6m. The company has recently introduced a prosthetic flexible wrist for the limb.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Economy of West Lothian

West Lothian’s largest private sector employers by headcount

West Lothian’s Statistics (Unemployment):

Employers

Sector

Headquarters Employees

Sky Television

Service

Livingston 4,000

Tesco

Retail & Distribution

Livingston 2,200

ASDA WAL*MART

Retail

Livingston 800

Morrisons

Retail

Livingston 700

Johnson & Johnson Medical

Manufacturing

Livingston 500

Quintiles

Manufacturing

Livingston 500

Mitsubishi Electric

Manufacturing

Livingston 450

SEH Europe

Manufacturing

Livingston 400

WL Gore DHL

Manufacturing

Livingston 400

Exel Supply Chain

Manufacturing

Livingston 350

West Lothian’s rate of unemployment has decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 2.0% in October (2014) which is the lowest JSA rate since June 2008. The number of JSA jobless in West Lothian for December (2014) had decreased by 169 on the previous month. West Lothian’s unemployment rate of 1.8% is lower than the Scotland rate (2.3%) and is slightly less than the Great Britain rate (1.9%). West Lothian’s unemployment rate ranks joint 16th highest with Angus, East Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Argyll and Bute, and Dumfries and Galloway out of all Scottish local authority areas.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Workforce Skills

• recognises that every single individual has talent and can develop • where people have aspirations and build knowledge through education and experience • attracts and retains smart people and creates opportunities for skilled people to develop and apply what they know • recognises the value of its young people and retains them to grow the economy of the future Only by achieving these aims will West Lothian have a more productive economy to compete in a global economy, and a better quality of life for “all” its people. Employment is recognised as a key determining factor of quality of life and a means of reducing levels of deprivation, inequality and improving health.

NVQ4 and Above NVQ3 and Above NVQ2 and Above NVQ1 and Above Other Qualifications

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Great Britain (%)

All businesses need to grow and develop in some way whether it is into new markets or through developing new products. Therefore, continual growth and development is essential for business survival. The skills base of a local population is a key determinant of economic performance. High skills can attract investment and new businesses to an area, and people with higher skills are generally employed in higher value occupations.

Individual Levels

Livingston and West Lothian needs to be a place, which:

Scotland (%)

Qualifications (Jan 2014-Dec 2014)

West Lothian (%)

A skilled economy must constantly train its young people

40,100

35.5

39.4

35.2

60,900

53.9

59.3

55.8

83,000

73.5

73.7

72.5

95,700

84.7

83.4

84.4

7,500

6.7

6.2

6.3

West Lothian

Continual growth and development is essential for business survival

Regional Profile:

Addressing Youth Unemployment Employers hold the key to helping young people harness their potential West Lothian had a higher proportion (3.6%) for December (2014) than Scotland (3.5%) of youth unemployment. We appreciate that there is no quick fix solution and the answer to youth unemployment in Livingston and West Lothian must come collectively from politicians, businesses, recruitment agencies, schools and colleges. Cordant People constantly works with businesses/industry in order to develop the economy of Livingston and West Lothian to create a future for its young people in line with the UK economy. Employers in the region hold the key to helping young people prepare for work and harnessing their potential.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Livingston & West Lothian

Regional Profile:

Addressing Youth Unemployment

Livingston & West Lothian

Advantages of recruiting young people Young people often have an abundance of energy and a natural thirst for knowledge, which can rub off on colleagues and help invigorate the workplace. As a recruitment agency we witness how young people tend to push themselves, wanting to make a lasting impression and prove what they can do. Their sheer determination to complete their work can inspire colleagues around them. Therefore, if a company puts sufficient time and thought into recruiting young people, it can subsequently provide a very positive return on investment.

There are clear business benefits to employing young people It is crucial for the wellbeing of young people that businesses take real ownership for skills development and good job creation – it is by local employers accepting responsibility that the whole community will achieve a positive impact and sustainable employment.

Fresh ideas It is also important to remember that any young person could be the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. Furthermore, although they lack experience, new young people are generally easier to train, due to being driven and eager to excel.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Addressing Youth Unemployment West Lothian College

West Lothian Youth Congress

West Lothian College is an award winning provider of further and higher education based in Livingston, West Lothian renowned for its successful collaborations with external partners including employers, businesses, skills organisations, universities, public sector and government organisations and community groups.

West Lothian has a formal structure for engaging with young people and including them in the decision making process. The West Lothian Youth congress is a constituted group of young people between the ages of 12 and 26. It includes 2 democratically elected representatives from each of West Lothian’s High schools as well as young people representing youth/ specific interest groups, community councils or local areas from across West Lothian. Preparing young people for work is a joint responsibility between employers, educators and government Cordant People believe it is important to develop local workforce strategies for the young people of West Lothian. Cordant People aim to work in conjunction with schools, colleges and employers in the region to introduce young people into the world of work in order to help them understand “a working environment”. Young people need more support to assist them from the transition of education to work. Research at Cordant People reveals that more than three-quarters (88%) of businesses think school leavers are unprepared for the workplace, while over half 54% think graduates are now work ready.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile: Livingston & West Lothian

Summary

Why is Workforce Planning Important? Workforce planning is a continuous process of shaping the workforce to ensure that it is capable of delivering organisational objectives now and in the future; thus every town, city and county needs a strong and proficient workforce to enable it to prosper and to actively compete in today’s increasingly competitive global market. Workforce planning enables a city to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity by having employees with the right knowledge and skills and who are a good fit for the job they are in, which in turn strengthens an organisation’s capacity to achieve business targets.

Overview | Economy | Workforce Skills | Youth Unemployment | Summary

Regional Profile:

Summary Cordant’s Objective At Cordant People we understand that every organisation needs a constant supply of candidates with the necessary skills because this is the foundation of business success and we appreciate that it is the educational policies, not economic conditions, which is the essential element of confronting our present global talent mismatch. Cordant People constantly endeavour to develop and nurture relationships which they have with all their candidates on their database, as well as continually seeking and engaging with new candidates to attract fresh talent.

Livingston & West Lothian

Scotland’s biggest towns and cities matter for a strong national economy West Lothian’s central location and excellent business and labour market connections make the area Scotland’s economic hub. West Lothian is ideally located, with 60% of Scotland’s population within a one-hour drive, making for easy access to customers, suppliers and workforce. West Lothian has undergone massive economic change over the last 20 years. From being an economy heavily reliant on traditional manufacturing, West Lothian has reinvented itself as a key location for knowledge based, research and development, and high technology manufacturing businesses. The area is also a key location for business service and retail companies. At Cordant People we recognise, completely, that the long-term economic health of towns and cities rests on investment in citizens’ skills and professional qualifications. Also as a recruitment agency we acknowledge our responsibility “that we must always be at the forefront of industry knowledge.” It is our objective to help and assist all companies in West Lothian and its surrounding region to recruit and employ successful candidates in order that they may fulfil business targets and compete in today’s increasingly competitive global markets.

Cordant People

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