Mr McConnell wants to look at the "bigger picture"

Jack McConnell was speaking as the Scottish Executive published research on challenges over the next 20 years.

He also appealed for a change in attitudes to the old, as the over-60s will be 30% of the population by 2025.

The Scottish National Party claimed the challenges were well known and that the executive was failing to act.

The Scottish Executive's strategy unit started the Futures Project two years ago.

It has made a statistical analysis of the trends, in areas such as the economy and employment, likely to have an impact on Scotland by 2025.

Geographic location

Speaking at Stirling University, Mr McConnell said: "The Futures Project is not about trying to predict the future. It is about place and positioning.

"We have analysed in detail Scotland's place internationally. Not our geographic location, but where we are compared to other countries on a whole range of indicators from the economy and health to education and the environment."

The first minister said that poverty and inequality were at the root of Scotland's greatest weaknesses.

An audience at Stirling University heard Mr McConnell's aims

He said significant progress had been made in reducing poverty but it was not enough.

Mr McConnell added that it was through education and lifelong learning that Scotland can best deal "inequalities and wasted human potential".

"It's clear that learning must be at the heart of our efforts to enhance our competitive advantage over the next 20 years and beyond," he said.

"In the complex, interconnected and fast-changing world that our children live, we will need to move beyond our traditional notion of education to a more flexible, creative notion of learning."

The first minister said globalisation was a certainty.

Policy choices

He said: "It is a mega-trend that is so significant it will influence all other future trends.

"Scotland is a small country on the north west periphery of Europe. We cannot possibly cut ourselves off from globalisation. We must embrace it."

We are seeing too little progress under this failed Labour-Liberal administration Nicola Sturgeon SNP Holyrood leader

He said Scots needed skills that were globally useful - in languages, technology and science and called for ordinary Scots to be "internationalist" in their attitudes. The first minister said the Futures Project was designed to guide the debate on policy choices.

SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon said: "The fact remains that Jack McConnell is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

"He has had his opportunity to use Scotland's huge potential to change our country for the better, but we are seeing too little progress under this failed Labour-Liberal administration."