‘We Could Take on the World if We Had the Space'

In Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, the state is being hollowed out as some public services are contracted out to the voluntary sector. As part of this process, voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) are being required to become more ‘business-like.’ This, in turn, is serving to increase these organisations’ demand for graduates, as part of a more general desire to upgrade workforce skills. However, despite an expanding supply of graduates in the labour market, the sector confronts difficulties in meeting its demand for this source of highly skilled labour.