The Scottish Conservatives will today (Monday) outline their plans to tackle Scotland’s skills gap by increasing the number of apprenticeships – and ensuring they better meet employers’ needs.
On a visit to Edinburgh College, leader Russell Findlay and shadow education secretary Miles Briggs will call for a ‘demand-led’ system, so that enough young people are emerging from colleges with the specific skills employers require to grow their businesses and Scotland’s economy.
The Scottish Conservatives say change is desperately needed because the SNP government have failed to pass on over £170million of funding that was intended for apprenticeships, while providing around 10,000 fewer places than learning providers have requested.
That has created a skills gap that is holding back young people and businesses alike, and stifling the economic growth needed to fund frontline public services.
Under the SNP, colleges have seen funding cuts of 20 per cent over the past five years, resulting in job losses and a reduction in student numbers.
Hospitality, construction, engineering and care services are among the sectors most acutely affected by the skills shortage.
Miles Briggs added that the failure to keep pace with other parts of the country when it comes to 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.
Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education Miles Briggs said: “The SNP’s savage cuts to college funding have robbed young people of opportunities and created a skills shortage that is holding back growth.
“That’s the very definition of a false economy.
“The Scottish Conservatives’ plan is to deliver more apprenticeship places – and, crucially, in those sectors where the skills shortage is most acute for businesses.
“This demand-led approach will provide young people and Scottish firms with the skills that are crucial in a host of sectors, putting right years of SNP neglect.
“The financial mismanagement of John Swinney’s government has resulted in a failure to invest in the training and skills essential for future prosperity. Unless the skills gap is addressed and growth becomes the government’s central priority, essential services will be unaffordable.
“We are proposing bold and practical measures to invest in colleges, fix Scotland’s broken apprenticeship system, address skills shortages and allow local employers to shape training that matches their workforce needs.”
Notes to editors
Audio from Miles Briggs MSP is attached to accompany the release.
The Apprenticeship Levy is a UK-wide tax on employers and is collected by HMRC. It came into force in 2017 and is set at 0.5% of an employer’s annual wage bill. It’s collected across the whole of the UK, but the way funds are used differs. In Scotland, levy receipts go to the Scottish Government via the block grant. However, in England, levy-paying employers access their own digital accounts to spend funds directly on apprenticeships. (Apprenticeships Scot, Accessed 14 November 2025, https://www.apprenticeships.scot/for-employers/apprenticeship-levy/. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">link; Ascento, Accessed 14 November 2025, https://www.ascento.co.uk/what-is-the-apprenticeship-levy. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">link).
The SNP Government used £171 million from the Apprenticeship Levy to plug holes in its own budget. HMRC data show at least £875 million was raised by Scottish employers under the Apprenticeship Levy between 2020 and 2024. However, £704m on graduate, foundation and modern apprenticeships across three quangos: Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council and Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). This means that £171 million has been taken from the fund and diverted elsewhere. (Telegraph, 24 August 2025, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/24/snp-accused-of-raiding-171m-from-apprenticeship-funding/. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">link).
In 2024-25, there were 25,507 new Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland. However, during the same period, learning providers requested around 34,000 places. (Skills Development Scotland, 13 May 2025, https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/news-events/2025/may/apprenticeships-supporting-scottish-economy. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">link; Audit Scotland, October 2025, https://audit.scot/uploads/2025-10/briefing_251002_scotlands_colleges_2025.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4">link).
Scotland’s colleges have experienced a 20% real terms cut in funding over the last five years. The college workforce shrank by over seven per cent in 2023/24 as savings were sought through voluntary severance schemes. Despite these cost-cutting exercises, seven out of 24 colleges reported a deficit in 2023/24. Two colleges also required emergency funding from the Scottish Funding Council to stabilise their finances. (Audit Scotland, 2 October 2025, https://audit.scot/news/colleges-feeling-impact-of-funding-cuts. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="5">link).
A majority of businesses are reporting a skills shortage in Scotland. The 2025 Open University Business Barometer Report stated that 56% of Scottish businesses are experiencing skills shortages. Only 35% have specific initiatives in place to recruit, retain, or train under-25s. (STV News, 24 June 2025, https://news.stv.tv/scotland/businesses-urged-to-help-shape-future-workforce-by-investing-in-young-people?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="6">link).