Meeting of the Parliament 19 November 2025
I apologise to the Deputy First Minister.
Whereas employers in England can directly access those funds, that is not the case in Scotland. The latest data shows that the SNP is siphoning off £171 million from the apprenticeship levy to spend elsewhere in its budget. Data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs shows that at least £875 million was raised by the apprenticeship levy between 2020 and 2024, but, in the same period, only £704 million was spent on apprenticeships in Scotland. If we are serious about supporting apprenticeships, that apprenticeship levy money needs to come back into the sector and not disappear into the SNP’s black hole.
This week, we set out our plans for a demand-led system for skills and apprenticeships. Those plans are covered in my amendment, which I am pleased to move.
I move amendment S6M-19756.1, to leave out from “, with better” to end and insert:
“; believes that this must be underpinned by a demand-led skills system that equips young people with the qualifications that employers need to grow Scotland’s economy; notes that the Scottish National Party administration has failed to pass on over £170 million of Apprenticeship Levy funding and has provided around 10,000 fewer apprenticeship places than learning providers requested, contributing to a widening skills gap in key sectors including hospitality, construction, engineering and care; further notes that colleges have faced a 20% real-terms funding cut, leading to job losses, falling student numbers and financial instability, and calls for urgent reform to invest in colleges, fix Scotland’s broken apprenticeship system, address skills shortages and allow local employers to shape training that matches their workforce needs.”
15:19Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.