Making all the difference
Last week Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Employability and Training, announced that a greater proportion of 16 to 17 year olds were in education, training or work.
This has been a key policy of the Scottish Government.
Those of us old enough will remember that Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government believed that three million people unemployed was an acceptable economic outcome for their plans. Many young people from the 1980s were lost to the world of work and some never worked because of this negligence.
Luckily, the Scottish Government has ensured that we never again have a lost generation of young people.
The 2017 Annual Participation Measure for 16 to 19-year-olds, published by Skills Development Scotland last week, showed the highest participation rate is amongst 16 year olds (98.8 per cent), with the vast majority at school (91.5 per cent).
These figures show proportionately more young people in Scotland are involved in education, training or employment.
It is important we ensure that all of Scotland’s young people have access to the best possible opportunities.
The Scottish Government are delivering 30,000 Modern Apprenticeships per year by 2020, while expanding towards 5,000 Foundation Apprenticeships per year.
This is the type of commitment we need from government and shows the stark differences between our government and the one in Westminster.