Skills Development Scotland - SDS

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is Scotland’s national skills body. We contribute to Scotland’s sustainable economic growth by supporting people and businesses to develop and apply their skills. We work with our partners to provide services that deliver the very best outcomes for Scotland’s people, businesses and the economy.

Skills Development Scotland works with employers across Scotland, providing trusted advice to support business meet their growth ambitions. Our pledge is to simplify the skills offer for employers.

Our Team Scotland approach will accelerate your access to the support that’s available, helping you navigate our learning and skills system with ease, getting you where you need to be as quickly as possible.

By offering bespoke, individualised support, we’ll make sure our learning and skills system measures up to your needs both now and in the future, with a commitment that we will remain responsive to your needs as they shift over time.

Skills for Growth is a fully funded skills diagnostic service for your business. We'll work to understand your skills needs, create a detailed People Skills Action Plan and guide you to the right support. SDS also works with industry, partners and stakeholders to provide labour market information that helps shape the skills and learning system to meet industry needs.

SDS support employers to invest in work-based learning through Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships.