Meeting of the Parliament 25 October 2023
I am delighted to contribute to this debate on the importance of Scotland’s skills landscape to its future economy. I will support the amendment in the name of my colleague Murdo Fraser.
As someone who took an unconventional journey through the various stages of the education system, I have long been an advocate of the idea that one size does not fit all and that different people suit different pathways. For example, I have two boys. One of my sons took the more traditional route through higher education and is now a doctor. My other son is training to be a mechanic through an apprenticeship. However, it is disappointing that there is still so much more work to do to achieve parity of esteem between different pathways such as those.
For many young people, an apprenticeship is an ideal way to learn on the job. That type of learning is supported by more than 12,000 employers in Scotland. However, demand for apprenticeships is outstripping supply. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government left training providers and young learners in limbo because of delays to apprenticeship funding. That is despite confirmation from the Scottish Training Federation that demand for apprenticeship places has never been higher. That failure to provide enough apprenticeship places is undermining the crucial role that they have to play in Scotland’s future skills landscape.
A report from the Fraser of Allander Institute that was released this week provides a fresh look at how important colleges will be to Scotland’s economic future. It highlights the point that highly skilled college graduates benefit the Scottish economy by around £8 billion in total. The study also found that a single year of college graduates has the potential to increase labour productivity by more than 0.3 per cent. Those are only two of many benefits that our college sector can offer our economy. However, that sector has struggled for years due to continued underinvestment.
I also highlight the point that there is a significant gender divide in apprenticeships, with female apprentices entering lower-paid work on average compared with their male counterparts. I hope that the minister will be able to set out in his closing remarks what he is doing to close that gap.
The Fraser of Allander Institute put it best this week when it said:
“Colleges sit at the forefront of ‘skilling up’ the nation through its diverse and extensive selection of further and higher education courses.”
Without taking full advantage of that pathway, Scotland cannot have a skills system that is fit for the future. Our colleges are capable of delivering the skills that our country needs, and the onus is now on the Scottish Government to deliver the funding for apprenticeship places that is clearly needed.
I fully support Labour’s motion, and I hope that members will support Murdo Fraser’s amendment, which calls on the Government to ensure that everyone who wants to pursue an apprenticeship is able to do so.
16:05