Sir Tom Hunter delivers annual Dover House Lecture
The Scottish entrepreneur covered a range of topics such as start-ups and the Scottish education system at the Dover House Lecture.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell, Sir Tom Hunter and Sir Jackie Stewart attend the Dover House Lecture
World famous Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter has challenged decision makers in Scotland to get behind business start-ups and help tailor the Scottish education system to rival the best in the world.
Delivering the fifth in a highly successful series of Dover House Lectures hosted by the Scotland Office in London yesterday (Monday 2 November), Sir Tom encouraged Scotland to rediscover its former glory as ‘inventor of the modern world’ by focusing support on the key business growth areas of start-ups and ‘scale-ups’. Tailoring the right skills and education to business need was also on the agenda with Sir Tom keen to foster discussion and action on improved business mentoring, practical help for new entrepreneurs and supported education options for young people entering the workforce.
Hosting the event, which was also attended by formula one racing legend and dyslexia action advocate Sir Jackie Stewart, Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said:
Drawing together an audience of respected UK opinion formers from sectors like business, law, the arts, academia, sport, charity, and many others, the Dover House lectures provide a special intellectual platform where Scotland’s most influential people can share new perspectives and come up with fresh solutions. As we heard in Sir Tom Hunter’s thought provoking lecture on bringing Scotland into its ‘second enlightenment’, the lectures serve as platforms through which invaluable ideas on Scotland’s biggest challenges can be shared.
Sir Tom Hunter said:
It’s a little-known fact that 100% of new net jobs in Scotland are created by businesses that are less than five years old, yet we are also currently facing a huge skills gap. We need to look at bridging that gap through education, and helping educators engage with start-up companies to turn Scotland into one of the best countries in the world at business.