Top-class outcomes for Scottish apprenticeships
U Results of the country’s work-based learning programmes speak for themselves, generating opportunities for young people to succeed in employment and life, writes Rosemary Gallagher
Today marks the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which is designed to spotlight and celebrate the benefits of work-based learning to the people of Scotland.
The theme of the week this year is “skills generation”, highlighting the role that apprenticeships play in creating a skilled workforce fit for the future.
Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships are intended to give people in Scotland from the age of 16-up access to high-quality employment and learning opportunities to help them reach their full potential.
Currently, there are around 40,000 apprentices and 12,000 apprentice employers in the country. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) states that more than 90 per cent of apprentice employers are small-tomedium enterprises, over 80 per cent pay at least the real Living Wage as a minimum, and 83 per cent of employers report improved productivity through apprentices.
Frank Mitchell, chair of SDS, says: “Scottish Apprenticeships generate vital skills aligned to economic need, while supporting employers to develop new talent.
“Apprenticeships also provide Scotland with a great social return by giving opportunities of enduring careers for many young people from Scotland’s most deprived areas.”
SDS maintains that for generations Scottish apprenticeships have powered potential, passed on the skills to thrive, built businesses to prosper, and energised the economy
It adds that employers generate apprenticeship opportunities to enable people to get the skills they need, now and in the future. And it says that learning providers support apprenticeships to generate skilled and productive employees.
Highlighting the theme of skills generation, SDS explains that apprenticeships are designed to provide skills to help businesses compete in a changing world. They do this by generating opportunities for people to succeed in life and work, the skills employers need now and in future, and growth for Scotland’s economy.
On the benefits of apprenticeships, statistics from SDS show that 91 per cent of apprentices remain in work or employment after their apprenticeship and more than 80 per cent of those who completed a Modern Apprenticeship progressed to a better job.
In terms of the impact on businesses and the wider economy, the body states that for every £1 in public investment, the Scottish Exchequer gets £4 to £5 in return; £100 million of public investment in apprenticeships generates around £450m tax back; and employers invest roughly £10 in apprenticeships for every public-funded £1.
This Friday, 8 March, the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards will take place in Aberdeen celebrating the work of Foundation, Modern and Graduate apprentices and recognising the dedicated employers, learning providers, and individuals who champion them.
Apprenticeships are just one part of the answer to trying to bridge the skills gap that exists in Scotland. A report from SDS, Economy, People and Skills, published in November last year, examined the country’s economy and labour market. It pointed to evidence from
Apprenticeships provide a great social return by giving opportunities of enduring careers for many young people from Scotland’s most deprived areas
the Employer Skills Survey 2022 that skills supply challenges have worsened across Scotland and the UK, with a rise in vacancies and hard-to-fill vacancies.
And a report from the Open University in November said a lack of skills in the UK is holding back environmental, social and governance (ESG) action. It found that less than one-tenth of businesses have a fully realised ESG strategy, despite nearly four in five organisations accepting that
ESG factors impact their brand or reputation.
Many companies run initiatives designed to attract people to work in their respective sectors and develop skills among their workforces. One example is Diageo’s Learning for Life hospitality industry skills programme, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Diageo Learning for Life was launched as part of an effort to tackle youth
unemployment by creating training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.
Since 2014, more than 2,000 people across Scotland have completed the programme, and it has grown into a Uk-wide initiative with more than 6,000 people graduating over the decade.
Diageo has invested £1m per year over that time, ensuring the programme delivers high-quality training, courtesy of hospitality training charity Springboard. It said that 83 per cent of graduates have gone onto sustained employment.
Gillian Dalziel, Learning for Life’ programme manager, says: “Seeing the programme’s impact on people’s lives has been a privilege, helping them gain new skills and employment opportunities. The hospitality industry is still struggling with skills shortages and through programmes like Learning for Life, we are supporting the sector as well as creating opportunities for our graduates.”
The Diageo Learning for Life programme has its roots in Latin America in 2008, where it was launched to help tackle youth unemployment. Diageo said it saw the opportunity to make a similar impact in Scotland and the UK, while also elevating hospitality as a career opportunity.