Rebuild – but with firm foundations

THE economic devastation of coronavirus could leave a deep scar on a generation of Scots.

Shutting down schools, workplaces and ordinary society changed everything.

But that wasn’t the hard part. Getting out of it will be the greatest challenge the country has faced, probably since World War II.

A group of advisers tried to tackle this monumental task in a new report sent to Nicola Sturgeon yesterday.

There are some eye-catching proposals, not least a “jobs guarantee” for 16 to 25-year-olds. These are the people most at risk from economic catastrophe.

Young people are missing vital education, and colleges and universities are worrying about their futures. Unemployment is going to spike.

While all age groups in all sections of society have been affected deeply by Covid-19, a country can’t rebuild without a well-educated, vibrant workforce.

The Government has to take immediate steps to follow through on much of the report’s findings. And it can’t blunder on the way.

Calls for public stakes in private enterprise could help build a strong foundation.

But the lessons of messy interventions such as at Ferguson Marine – where CalMac ferries are being built – must be learned.

There are positive ideas in this report but government shelves already creak with dusty actions plans and longforgotten big ideas. Scotland can’t afford to wait – an entire generation depends on it.