In light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which notes that the demand for modern apprentice places exceeds…

The Scottish Government is investing more than three quarters of a billion pounds in our 24 colleges to support apprenticeships and a wide range of skills and qualifications. The most recent Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocations provide increases of 2.6% to teaching funding and almost 5% in capital maintenance. This will help colleges’ future investment in students' learning experiences and in meeting Scotland’s skills.Coupled with this, the SFC College Transformation Framework offers bespoke funding option arrangements between colleges and the SFC, enabling colleges to plan their future long-term curriculum more effectively.Through its Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model (OF&AM), SFC engages with colleges to ensure they are engaging with employers to respond to industry and sector needs. Modern Apprenticeships are one form of provision that colleges provide to meet those needs.The Scottish Government is providing £185 million this year to support 25,500 new Modern Apprenticeships, 5,000 new Foundation Apprenticeships and over 1,200 new Graduate Apprenticeships. This is in addition to the funding for 37,000 apprentices already in training.It is our ambition to grow our apprenticeship offer and to increase opportunities for people to ‘earn as they learn’, in response to demand. The Tertiary Education (Scotland) Bill supports this ambition by simplifying the funding landscape and better aligning support for apprenticeships and work-based learning.While apprenticeships remain a vital part of Scotland’s skills landscape, they are one of many high-quality pathways available. Our investment in colleges and universities supports a broad spectrum of learning routes, including work-based learning, so people can access the skills and qualification that best suit their ambitions and Scotland’s economic needs.