Meeting of the Parliament 08 May 2024
The point, as Liam Kerr well knows, is that we are bringing to a head a lot of the outcomes and suggestions from the reports. I will try to cover that in this opening speech but also in closing. I think that Mr Kerr knows that that is the case.
We must find a way forward, taking account of some of the reports, ensuring that colleges are on a sustainable long-term footing. That is simply not going to be available from an injection of public cash that is not available to us. The reform programme that we are embarking on, which is driven by the reports, will place colleges at the heart of post-16 skills delivery.
We are acting on what the reviews have told us about the need for change to ensure that our learning and education system is fit for the future. For example, the Government will take a central role in the delivery of skills planning at a national level, recognising its central role in shaping the skills need. In so doing, we will work with the public, private and third sectors to ensure that the offer is fit for purpose. Colleges will be central to that, and we are working directly with them on it already. The development of a colleges first principle for certain apprenticeship areas, which Glasgow Clyde College principal Jon Vincent is leading on, is a good example of what I am talking about. We have college representatives in the room as we work with employers on identifying skills shortages and how colleges’ offer can be better aligned to the needs of employers and the economy.
It is important that decisions to fund Scotland’s college sector are made facing forwards, looking towards what we need both now and in the future, so that decisions are not reactive, and that they take account of the reviews. That will require thoughtful leadership from across the sector and beyond—it is important that we are up front about that. I can assure the Parliament that the Scottish Government is working extremely hard with stakeholders such as the Scottish Funding Council and Colleges Scotland to work through this period together. I was due to sit down with Colleges Scotland and college chairs in Stirling this afternoon as part of that on-going engagement. The scheduling of this debate forced the cancellation of those sessions, but they will be rearranged.
Regardless of who holds this post following the ministerial reshuffle that is under way, I know that the Scottish Government will remain committed to that close working, which I believe will lead to the shaping of a college sector that can deliver local and national priorities.
I move amendment S6M-13091.3, to leave out from “agrees” to end and insert:
“recognises that colleges are vital to Scotland’s economy and play a crucial role in supporting learners, creating flexible routes into employment, developing a skilled workforce and delivering sustainable economic growth; understands that the process of post-school education reform provides opportunities to further enhance the role that Scotland’s colleges play in the economy and society, including enhancing their role in developing the green skills that Scotland needs for the just transition, and agrees that any proposals for changes to funding must be clear from where else in the Scottish Government’s budget the resource would be taken, particularly in the context of 14 years of UK Government austerity.”
16:38Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.