Audrey Cumberford, the Principal of Edinburgh College, has shared her views on the future of apprenticeships in Scotland, including the desire for colleges to take control of apprenticeship budgets.
The opinion piece – published in the Herald recently – calls for colleges to be lead delivery partners for apprenticeships via regional economic partnerships.
Read her opinion piece via the link below:
https://ow.ly/Lru350YoB6k
STF Chief Executive, Stuart McKenna, responded to Ms Cumberford’s views in a letter published in the Herald on Saturday 7 March 2026. The text of the letter is reproduced below.
The truth about colleges and Modern Apprenticeships
There are many myths and misconceptions around apprenticeships.
Like ‘apprenticeships are only for trades’ when there are around one hundred different types of apprenticeships covering hundreds of different jobs across sectors.
Or that ‘apprenticeships are only for boys’ when four in ten apprenticeships starts are women.
Or that ‘apprenticeships are for those who can’t get into university’ – when many now choose an apprenticeship route to work, learn and earn up to a degree level qualification.
Another misconception is that all apprentices go to college.
While true that many do attend colleges – many more get their off-the-job training with Scotland’s independent learning providers or direct from their employer.
That’s one of the reasons that Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford calling for a bigger role for colleges in the delivery of Modern Apprenticeships just doesn’t make sense (Herald, 3 March 2026).
Colleges are important, but marginal players in Modern Apprenticeships.
They get 8% of direct contracts and are involved in sub-contracting for another 21%.
It’s Scotland’s network of independent training providers and employers who deliver the big numbers. Most Modern Apprentices have no engagement with a college.
Achievement rates for colleges – meaning those who complete their apprenticeship – are significantly lower than for non-college providers.
In 2024-25, the overall college achievement rate was 70.9% compared to 79.8% for non-college providers.
This gap in achievement has been consistent over the last five years. In 2024-25, Edinburgh College had an overall achievement rate of 68.1%.
Colleges also offer less choice than non-college providers.
In 2022-23, non-college providers offered 97 different Modern Apprenticeships. The number for colleges during the same period was 61.
And college delivery of Modern Apprenticeships is more costly to the public purse. In addition to the funding received from Skills Development Scotland, colleges draw down an additional £50 million from the Scottish Funding Council to support delivery.
Non-college providers don’t have access to this additional funding.
Audrey Cumberford calls for fairer funding – but the truth is that colleges already receive extra funding which gives them a competitive advantage over independent learning providers.
Giving colleges ‘a leading role’ in Modern Apprenticeship delivery would result in lower achievement rates overall; less choice for learners and employers; and higher delivery costs meaning poorer value for the tax-payer.
Colleges do a huge amount of highly valuable work across many areas of learning.
But in terms of delivery with Modern Apprenticeships, they are very much secondary to training providers and employers who have played a leading role in making the programme the success it has been for the last 31 years.
The theme for Scottish Apprenticeship Week is working for Scotland.
To ensure Modern Apprenticeships continue to work for individuals, employers and the economy for decades to come we must recognise and protect the value of independent learning providers.
