THE boss of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has said 2018 will be the year it will focus on skills shortages and internationalisation to boost lagging exports, while delivering practical growth programmes for member companies.

In a New Year message, chambers president Tim Allan said this will be the year when the chambers’ careful relationship-building in overseas trade begins to yield measurable commercial results for Scottish companies.

He said: “Since assuming the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) presidency in April, I have been continually impressed by the capacity and inventiveness within the chambers network.

“Our task for 2018 is to consolidate the network’s big gains of last year, while boosting the chambers’ influence to the wider benefit of Scotland.”

Allan said local chamber members include leaders in technology and business processes that can compete with the best, such Kongsberg Maritime of Wick, makers of deep-sea cameras, and Lochaven International in Stewarton who supply the Hogwarts school uniform for the Harry Potter film series

“By using our connections to forge business-to-business relationships in Europe and beyond, our Chambers network will leverage the power of the international chambers organisation to match member companies with the clients, suppliers and partners of the future,” Allan said.

He added: “As the overall shape of future trade relations between the UK and the European Union emerges from the Brexit negotiations, SCC will continue to monitor the content of the deal, and advocate for Scottish business priorities, notably secure labour supply and continued ease of passage for goods and services.

“Closer to home, where recent economic forecasts continue to paint a challenging picture for the UK and for Scotland, SCC will continue to press our governments to help business to thrive.

“First and foremost this means improving the supply of skilled people. We will continue to give feedback to government on skills gaps while actively supporting initiatives such as Developing the Young Workforce.”