Boost for young Scottish jobseekers

SCOTLAND’S share of the apprenticeship levy fund will be used to create 30,000 roles for young people every year until 2020, ministers have said.

Ambitious plans by the Scottish Government for the money include a £10m fund for employers to work with colleges to boost staff skills, increasing the number of graduate-level and foundation apprenticeships and a package of support for sectors including digital, care and early years.

The levy, a policy of the UK Government, will be introduced in April, and means larger employers pay 0.5% of their annual wage bill directly to HMRC.

Scottish Government Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn, said; “While the UK Government forced this levy on Scotland without consultation, we have done all we can to involve employers in decisions on how the funding is spent.

“We have responded to the needs of employers by announcing an approach that is much broader than is currently proposed in England, and that will support skills, training and employment.

“We will use the apprenticeship levy to give the workplace more options and flexibility.

“While we will boost Modern Apprenticeships we will also address skills gaps and the training needs of existing employees where a full apprenticeship might not be appropriate.”