Shared apprenticeship ambitions for Scotland

Paul Devoy, Stuart McKenna, Diane Greenlees, Caroline McFarlane

Learning providers heard about the shared ambition for apprenticeships and their key role in Scotland’s economy.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Scottish Government outlined their shared commitment to apprenticeships at the Scottish Training Federation conference.

Tertiary Education Minister Alyn Smith said:

“Training providers are central to Scotland’s skills system, and the Scottish Government is backing that role with a 10% uplift to Modern Apprenticeship contribution rates from 2027/28, an additional £8.8 million of investment.

 

“I want workplace learning to become the norm, not the exception. That means building a resilient, mixed provider economy that attracts more people into the system and delivers the skilled workforce our economy needs.”

The Scottish Funding Council will take on responsibility for apprenticeships from 1 April 2027.

SDS and the SFC are working closely together to deliver a smooth and seamless transfer to the SFC as a redesigned funding agency that will have more responsibilities and duties as a result of the Scottish Government’s Tertiary Education and Training Act.

SFC interim chief executive Paul Devoy and SDS Director of National Training Programmes Diane Greenlees spoke at the event.

Diane outlined the evidence of the strength of Scottish Apprenticeships for people employers and the growth of the Scottish economy; continuous enhancements and evidence on the quality of apprenticeships, summarising the positive perceptions and feedback from apprentices and employers on their experience.

Diane said:

“It’s really important to share our collective commitment to continuity and the continued success of apprenticeships in Scotland.

 

“Scottish Government recognises the importance of apprenticeships to ensure a highly skilled workforce to meet the opportunities in Scotland’s economy.

 

“It’s thanks to learning providers across the country that Scotland has a strong base of successful delivery of apprenticeships.”

Paul said:

“Independent learning providers play a crucial role in delivering a mixed delivery model of apprenticeship provision and, as we work to bring the funding of all post-16 education and skills provision into one single organisation, we look forward to engaging with providers as we look to unlock more opportunities to build on the apprenticeship programme. “

STF Chief Executive Stuart McKenna said:

“Learning providers working with employers and apprentices are critical to Scotland’s apprenticeship success.

 

“STF members are committed to supporting the transfer of national training programmes and ultimately supporting what’s best for apprentices, their employers and the economy.”

The conference included workshops from SDS and SFC, Qualifications Scotland and People Plus.

Delegates also heard from apprentices Cameron Clark from Scottish Water, Caleb McNeil from Leidos UK and Sonja Jillich from JP Morgan at the event which took place at Qualification Scotland’s Glasgow headquarters on Tuesday, 6 October.

You can find out more about the transfer of apprenticeships on the Transformation page of the SFC website.