Fresh Talent Initiative
The Fresh Talent Initiative was a Scottish Government policy framework to encourage people to settle in Scotland.[1] The initiative was launched in February 2004 by then First Minister, Jack McConnell as a way of countering the 'biggest challenge facing Scotland' of its falling population.[2]
Since immigration is a matter reserved to the UK parliament in the legislation that established the
Scottish universities, who express the intention of living and working in Scotland, to stay on for two years following graduation to seek employment. The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme was up and running by summer 2005, applying to those who graduated that year.[3]
Opposition towards the scheme was voiced by some
English universities which felt that the scheme gave Scottish universities a competitive advantage in terms of attracting students from overseas.[4]
The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme was subsumed into the UK immigration system on 29 June 2008 when the UK government brought in a new
points based immigration scheme.[5]
See also
References
- ^ New Scots: Attracting Fresh Talent to meet the Challenge of Growth scotland.gov.uk, accessed 4 November 2008
- ^ FOREWORD scotland.gov.uk, accessed 4 November 2008
- ^ ENCOURAGING STUDENTS AT SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES TO STAY IN SCOTLAND scotland.gov.uk, accessed 4 November 2008
- ^ Scotland's Fresh Talent plan angers English universities ukimmigration.com, accessed 5 November 2008
- ^ Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk, accessed 5 November 2008