Meeting of the Parliament 25 October 2023
If the minister had been listening, he would have heard that I said that that was a great idea. As I said, who will fit and service those heat pumps, let alone pay for them?
The construction industry told us that it will need an extra 22,500 tradespeople and engineers by 2028 for it to have any chance of hitting that Government target. That would mean that they would have to be in training now. What an incredible opportunity for our pupils or for those who are looking to transition from the oil and gas sector into the renewable sector, but that obvious first step to meet the world-leading target of weaving a green economy into our education system has been overlooked by the minister. Not one person in the industry whom I have heard from believes for one second that the target will be hit. It is empty rhetoric, and the Government blames everyone else for its failures.
Thirteen per cent of our working-age population is economically inactive, and the majority of those people are inactive due to poor health. In fact, poor health—not just being economically inactive—is the biggest drag on our economy. The way to deal with that huge issue is through investment in our education system. Education has always been the solution to health and welfare. It gives pupils confidence, resilience and aspiration by showing them what the renewable economy could offer them and what they could in turn do for the green economy and for Scotland.
What an opportunity we can offer pupils in our schools, students in our colleges, people who are transitioning from the oil and gas sector, and engineers and tradespeople in our rural and blue economies. The Scottish education system should be at the forefront of delivering global net zero ambitions.
Remember this: some of the people who will pick up the baton and run with those ambitions by 2045 are currently in primary school or even pre-school. We should be enthusing them and encouraging them into these sectors. We should ensure that there is an understanding of the huge variety of skills that are required for future generations, but, unfortunately, we have a Government that cannot join up the dots and make the connection between setting targets and delivering a route map.
If we get that right, Scottish health, welfare and justice and our economy will benefit hugely. However, if we continue along the road down which the Scottish Government has been taking us for the past 16 years, we will slide further behind the curve when we should be leading. Scotland deserves much better.
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