Scottish business clubs launched to tackle nation's productivity gap

Three new business clubs are being launched in Scotland to help small firms recover from the impact of Covid-19 by improving productivity.

The launch event for a pilot Productivity Club in Edinburgh which was staged before Covid-19 measures were introduced. Picture: Zeno Watson

Following the success of pilot “Productivity Clubs” in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which have attracted over 1,000 members over the past year, the Scottish Government-funded scheme is now rolling out versions covering North East Scotland, the Highlands and Islands and the South of Scotland under plans announced today.

The clubs provide networking opportunities to encourage firms to learn from successful approaches developed by other small businesses to improve productivity and resilience.

To date, nearly 80 per cent of businesses taking part in the clubs said they had found the scheme to be useful in building business connections, with more than 72 per cent expecting to see improvements in their business productivity as a result.

Members of the two pilot clubs, delivered by Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), highlighted benefits across areas including business, employee engagement, leadership and management as well as adopting new technology.

SCDI programme manager Ashleigh McCulloch said the expansion of the free initiative “supports the development of an economy which works for all”.

“Disappointing productivity have been a worrying feature of both the Scottish and wider UK economy for the past decade and this has only been exacerbated by the lockdown activity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

“What we know from speaking to our members is that collaboration and sharing of information during this time as been invaluable to support businesses and navigate through the current landscape”.

Scottish trade minister Ivan McKee said the pilot clubs had achieved “remarkable success” in their first year.

The first events for the North East and South Scotland clubs will take place on 10 December and on 11 December for the Highlands & Islands version. As well as regular events including ones showcasing how members have implemented improvements to their business, the clubs will also stage an annual conference bringing together leaders with experience in increasing productivity.

The new clubs are being launched with a video of businesses featuring interviews with Michelle Handforth, chief executive of Aberdeen Harbour, Chris Gaffney, finance director of Johnston’s of Elgin and Gwilym Gibbons, chief executive of The Crichton Trust.

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