Meeting of the Parliament 20 January 2026 [Draft]
I thank members for their contributions. By way of response to what has just been said, I emphasise that the strategic work that will be taken forward through amendment 10, together with amendment 74, has already been happening within the Scottish Government. There will be more to say about that in the months ahead.
The commissioning of the Withers report was part of building that strategic approach and, today, in the legislation that is before Parliament, we seek to advance much of what the Withers report advocated for, particularly with regard to moving funding for apprenticeships into the remit of the Scottish Funding Council and putting apprenticeships on a statutory footing.
It is not fair to say that there has not been a strategic approach, that we have not been undertaking consultation and responding to it, or that our approach has not been evidence led. However, I appreciate members’ engagement on this issue. Through the deliberations between stage 2 and today, I have sought to listen to colleagues so that we can come together on a position that helps us to move forward as a nation. I am glad to hear that there is support for amendment 10 and, if Parliament passes the bill, I will look forward to the strategy being an important aspect for Government and for business, in order to make sure that we progress together in the right way.
Amendment 10 agreed to.
Section 2—General duty of the Scottish Ministers to support delivery