Meeting of the Parliament 25 October 2023
This afternoon’s debate has been fascinating. There has been a fair degree of consensus—well, in parts. In the first instance, we all accept that there is a clear case for change regarding how we further develop and improve our skills landscape.
It is of course right that, as we navigate any change, we take the time to fully engage with industry, trade unions and educational institutions. Some members in the Parliament who would wish to see the Scottish Government act more swiftly to consider and implement recommendations would also be among the first to complain—and rightly so—if there was not full engagement with industry, unions and the education sector. Let us do so timeously but meaningfully, and let us get any required changes right.
Covid has been devastating. However, the Skills Development Scotland website shows that there have been 25,447 modern apprenticeship starts from April 2022 to March 2023, and that modern apprenticeship starts are now 91 per cent returned to pre-pandemic levels. That is positive and, as SDS said, it shows
“employer demand for critical skills.”
The challenge is to ensure that we deliver the right skills and training at the right time to support our businesses and our workforce; that is what the review is all about. The skills review is crucial. However, Skills Development Scotland also confirmed that figures show that the number of apprentices in training currently across the country—despite some of the doom and gloom that we have heard today—is at its highest-ever level, at around 39,000.
It is important that we ensure that the needs of our school leavers and the workforce more generally are met when we implement changes to the skills landscape. We have solid foundations to build on, with 93 per cent of school leavers sustaining positive destinations. Many are in education, training and employment.
It is also encouraging to see the increase in the percentage share of individuals who start a modern apprenticeship who have a declared disability or care experience or who come from an ethnic minority community, although I note that members have raised concerns about gender segregation and the need for more women in those roles. The crucial role of apprenticeships as a pathway into highly skilled employment for those from our most deprived communities is clear, with the largest share of apprenticeship starts—24 per cent—coming from our 20 per cent most deprived areas.
The review talks about how the funds in the system are often fragmented and are not always used as effectively as they could be. I note that one example that was used was colleges, which often have to balance their sustainability between a mix of core funding via credits and bolt-on funding such as through national transition training funds and the young persons guarantee. I was therefore interested in recommendation 5, which would establish a new style of national funding body that would have responsibility for administering and overseeing the delivery of all publicly funded post-school learning and training. That is an interesting idea. It would leave a clear line of sight between ministerial priorities and policies and public funding. It also links to recommendation 6, which would redesign the process for implementing the funding of all learning and training provision. We must look at the position of colleges in that context. They are in a tight financial predicament and are making redundancies. They need investment and sustainability. If recommendations 5 and 6 are to mean anything, they must deliver for Scotland’s college sector.
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