Tory leader says apprenticeship funds have vanished

The Scottish Conservatives are calling for increased funding for apprenticeships, citing that millions of pounds of proposed government funding has “vanished”. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay and shadow education secretary Miles Briggs made the comments during a visit to Edinburgh College.

They emphasized the need for a “demand-led” system, where enough young people are emerging from colleges with the specific skills employers require to grow their businesses and Scotland’s economy.

Apprenticeships Funding Crisis

Russell Findlay stated that the SNP government has failed to pass on over £170 million of funding intended for apprenticeships, resulting in around 10,000 fewer places than learning providers have requested.

This, he said, has created a “skills gap” that is holding back young people and businesses. Findlay noted that there are currently around 25,000 people on apprenticeships in Scotland, but they aim to increase this number to at least 36 or 37,000.

The Scottish government receives a significant amount of money to fund apprenticeships through the apprenticeship levy, but Findlay claimed that this money has not been used for its intended purpose.

Skills Shortage Impact

Miles Briggs added that the failure to keep pace with other parts of the country in terms of training places is putting Scottish firms at a disadvantage, with more than half saying there is a skills shortage and one in five saying it has curtailed their activity.

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Briggs emphasized that the skills gap needs to be addressed, stating that the SNP’s cuts to college funding have robbed young people of opportunities and created a skills shortage that is holding back growth.

They propose to deliver more apprenticeship places, particularly in sectors where the skills shortage is most acute for businesses, using a demand-led approach.

Government Response

A Scottish Government spokesperson said that the government is delivering a transformational program to reform the post-school education and skills system, taking targeted action to meet urgent skills needs in sectors like offshore wind, social care, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

The spokesperson noted that the latest data from the Scottish Funding Council shows there are currently more than 14,000 full-time equivalent college students on engineering courses.

The government is providing funding to deliver new modern apprentices, foundation apprentices, and graduate apprentices, and will continue to support apprentices already in training.

It remains to be seen how the Scottish government will address the concerns raised regarding the apprenticeships funding crisis.