Hansard

I thank the cabinet secretary and the Government for holding this debate to celebrate Scottish apprenticeship week, and I welcome the money that the cabinet secretary has just announced—although, after my remarks, she will probably understand why I perhaps do not welcome the fact that it is SDS that will deliver the plan. However, I welcome the money and any help that will address issues that Labour has raised.

The debate gives me a great opportunity to offer the Labour Party’s support in working with the Scottish Government to help as many young people as possible in Scotland to access apprenticeships. The belief in our young people’s potential and in their capacity to excel if we empower them to do so is undoubtedly one that is shared across the chamber and across Scotland. The Parliament works best when we come together in the chamber and work towards improving opportunities for our constituents.

My colleagues and I welcomed the Government’s commitment in December 2014 to take forward the recommendations of Sir Ian Wood’s commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce. I hope that the Government is successful in its aim of cutting youth unemployment by 40 per cent. Apprenticeships, as highlighted by apprenticeship week, are obviously a key part of that.

Throughout our public sector, decision makers and staff on the front line make a tremendous effort to ensure that opportunities are open to as many young people as possible. I know that several colleagues have worked in and around local government and they will not need me to remind them of some of the leading-edge schemes that our councils have come up with. The efforts of both Falkirk Council and South Lanarkshire Council to facilitate apprenticeships in their communities have merit and are worthy of recognition. However, given the time constraints, I will mention only one scheme, which is in my native North Lanarkshire.

Schools in North Lanarkshire offer their pupils real, practical opportunities. During the 2013-14 session, the in-school vocational education delivery model enabled more than 2,000 senior students to undertake vocational training courses alongside traditional subjects in 63 custom-made facilities across 24 mainstream schools and eight specialist schools. The subjects were varied, ranging from construction crafts to beauty care, and are Scottish Qualifications Authority certified.

Two North Lanarkshire schools have pioneered a programme in which young people are offered the opportunity to learn the trade of professional cookery while working with North Lanarkshire Council for a period of one year, gaining practical work experience while they undertake a vocational qualification. Our councils are on the front line in tackling youth unemployment, and I have always held the view that those who deal with such issues every day are best equipped to know how to tackle the same issues at the national level. It is important that our Government continues to empower councils to improve their offer to young people at the local level.

I know that the Government says that one of its key aims is to enshrine equalities in every aspect of its legislation. I feel—perhaps as a result of the years that I spent as a member of the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee—that it would be remiss of me not to mention the real concerns that I have about the Government’s success in meeting that aim for its apprenticeship programme.

I acknowledge the Government’s efforts to offer the opportunity of an apprenticeship to all, regardless of background. I welcome the fact that the number of young women entering apprenticeships increased significantly by 2012-13, at which point there were almost four times as many female apprentices as there had been in 2008-09. However, a March 2015 Audit Scotland report indicated that the Government’s flagship modern apprenticeship programme had served only to reinforce gender segregation. As I am sure many members will know, in 2012-13, 98 per cent of construction apprentices were male and 97 per cent of childcare apprentices were female.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission states:

“The uptake of Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland is typified by significant gender segregation, with ethnic minorities and disabled people also appearing to have low levels of access to all forms of apprenticeships.”

It is a depressing fact that less than 0.5 per cent of all modern apprenticeship placements are taken by someone with a declared disability.

Skills Development Scotland has been tasked with addressing the gender imbalance that exists in sectors such as construction and health and social care, yet it seems to have had little impact. SDS’s own figures indicate that, as of December 2014, only 4 per cent of engineering apprentices in Scotland were women.

It seems rather optimistic to ask SDS to take the lead in tackling a societal issue such as occupational segregation and expect it to make great strides. It should be incumbent on SDS to encourage young women to seek out alternative careers, but that seems to be outwith the organisation’s abilities and remit.

During my time on the Equal Opportunities Committee, gender segregation in Scotland was discussed time and time again. In compiling its “Women and Work” report, the committee heard evidence that indicated that uptake among young women at school of science, technology, engineering and maths subjects was not high. SDS itself has indicated that only 15 per cent of those doing information technology courses, for instance, were female.

If we are serious about breaking through glass ceilings, that problem must be tackled at a much earlier stage. We need to hear the experiences of successful women in those fields and listen to their views on how we can foster a new generation of young female apprentices in those areas.