As things currently stand, no new funded Modern Apprenticeship places will be available in Scotland from 1 April 2024. That’s because the Scottish Government has still to agree the apprenticeship budget with Skills Development Scotland (SDS). With no budget agreed, SDS cannot issue contracts to the training providers, colleges and employers who deliver Modern Apprenticeships. No budget agreed means no new Modern Apprenticeships.
Yesterday, the UK Government announced an additional £60 million for its Apprenticeship programme. Great news for those living south of the border. In Scotland, we are still struggling to issue delivery contracts in a timely manner.
And who are the losers in all this? Well, there’s the young (and not so young) people looking forward to starting an apprenticeship who may now find this will be delayed. There’s the employers looking to hire staff who may now have to put recruitment plans on hold.
And there’s the organisations that deliver Modern Apprenticeships – training providers and colleges – who are trying to deliver a flagship Scottish Government training programme without knowing if they will or will not have a contract.
The delivery of Modern Apprenticeships isn’t as easy as turning a tap on and off. It takes a lot of planning and organisation. The ongoing stop-start approach to funding is unhelpful.
We urgently need Scottish Government to agree the Modern Apprenticeship budget with SDS and avoid another freeze – and the negative consequences this will bring.
Stuart McKenna, Chief Executive, STF
