ENTREPREUNERS and politicians joined forces for the first annual meeting to encourage ambition in Scotland.

Sir Tom Hunter and Deputy First Minister John Swinney spoke at the Scotland CAN DO assembly in Glasgow yesterday, which was delivered by The Princes Trust and the Government.

Young entrepreneurs were able to listen to speeches and take part in workshops.

Will Hutton, chairman of the Big Innovation Centre, discussed how more can be achieved through embracing new ways of working.

It came as Princes Trust Scotland prepared to open its Wolfson Centre in Glasgow, which will be the biggest youth employment and enterprise hub in the country.

The centre will help more young people to start a business, get a job or get back into education.

Mr Swinney said: "Scotland CAN DO is a platform for us all - across all sectors - to further sharpen our focus on creating sustainable economic growth."

Allan Watt, Director for the Prince's Trust in Scotland, which will support 1800 young people this year, added: "As a charity, we have been supporting young entrepreneurs for over 25 years and have seen the demand for this support grow."

Mr Swinney also announced that up to £200,000 will be made available to enable the children's charity Aberlour to roll-out The Lens - a competition to progress new ideas for growth in the third sector.

Speaking at the Scotland assembly in Glasgow, Jim Duffy CEO of Entrepreneurial Spark, said a revival was talking place.

He said: "There is an entrepreneurial revival taking place across the UK and it is an exciting time to be part of it.

"Since 2012 our three Scottish business accelerators have supported 350 fledging entrepreneurs and over 1,000 employees.

"We are breaking down the barriers for new start-ups and I'm excited to play a leading role in this Scotland CAN DO Assembly, helping to help shape a brighter future for entrepreneurship."

Mr Duffy and his team offer free support to businesses across the UK.

He added: "At Entrepreneurial Spark we enable entrepreneurs, we do this on a very practical level by offering business owners the opportunity to work in a collaborative office environment, providing mentors and training."