Meeting of the Parliament 19 November 2025
I thank Daniel Johnson for the debate. It is enormously important that we discuss this issue in the chamber, to ensure that not only our young people, but those who are already in the world of work—Liz Smith made that point—have the requisite skill set that they need in order to take up the opportunities that exist in the labour market.
Those who are coming down the track are of fundamental importance. The nature of the labour market is changing. Daniel Johnson made the point about artificial intelligence changing the nature of our labour market. Automation will change the nature of our labour market, and changed patterns of consumption will do so, too. We also need to focus on the just transition, so debating the issue is important.
I absolutely agree that we should not be immune to any suggestion about how we can continue to improve our education and skills system. The minister made the point that we should not close down any discussion about how we can improve it.
Mr Johnson’s motion says that we should improve careers advice in schools. I remind him that we have the careers collaborative, which is established and is already working towards that end. His idea about having a clearing system for apprenticeships is interesting and worthy of exploration. It would not be exactly analogous to the clearing system for universities, because it is a paid employment opportunity. However, I take on board the point that Lorna Slater made about the ability for pupils to attain graduate-level qualifications while simultaneously being in employment. We are starting to see that through graduate apprenticeships being embedded as part of our skills system. We should be willing to discuss that idea further.
However, I cannot agree with the terms of Daniel Johnson’s motion, and I cannot agree with the notion that our skills system is letting down our young people. I agree with Alex Rowley that we should not talk down our system, but, when we use that type of terminology, we are at danger of doing so. The overwhelming majority of young people who leave school go on to a positive destination and have a life-changing experience, such as I had going on to further study at university, or going to college, into training—there are 38,000 apprentices in training right now—or into employment, and we should recognise that.
I will pick up on what Alex Rowley said about focusing on colleges. We have excellence in our colleges. For example, when culinary students from my local college, New College Lanarkshire, took over the restaurant in Parliament, Clare Adamson and I enjoyed their hospitality and the meal that they prepared. At its Motherwell campus, New College Lanarkshire also has a smart hub that helps hundreds of businesses to use robotics to improve their processes.
Mr Rennie mentioned Dundee and Angus College. I have had the pleasure of visiting that excellent college, which is doing excellent activity. Edinburgh College, in Mr Johnson’s home city, with its digital care hubs, is preparing people for opportunities in health and social care, with a particular focus on technology-enabled care. I could go on with many examples from across the country that I have seen first hand.
We should reflect on the fact that, although our system can, of course, always be refined and improved, there is already excellence. If we are going to have the type of conversation that we should have about improving our education and skills system, we must bear in mind that we already have strong underpinnings.
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