TRADE body SELECT has warned that Scotland could suffer recruitment challenges in the electrical sector due a growing discrepancy in apprenticeship funding.
The association has reacted to the announcement of a 15% grant funding increase for English electrical apprenticeships which brings funding south of the border to £23,000 per apprentice – almost three times the current Scottish figure of just under £8,000.
SELECT MD Alan Wilson said, “Funding for apprenticeships in Scotland hasn’t increased in more than seven years and has actually reduced by more than 30% in real terms as a result of inflation. We cannot begin to have a renewables future in Scotland without electricians, so the Scottish Government must find the cash. A two-tier system is entirely unacceptable.”
Skills England, a government agency of the UK’s Department for Education, confirmed the funding rise earlier this month to The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP).
In Scotland, electrical apprenticeships are offered through Skills Development Scotland’s Modern Apprenticeship programmes, which provide paid, on-the-job training programmes that combine work with industry-recognised qualifications.
Alan Wilson added, “Scotland absolutely must not be left behind when it comes to apprenticeship funding. There is the clear danger of a two-tier system, with Scottish industry losing out to England’s, as well as a very real risk that we will lose a generation of skilled electrical talent when we can least afford it.”
SELECT’s warning comes after it recently described the UK Government’s new immigration proposals as a ‘ticking time bomb’ for Scottish construction, with the risk of skilled contractors heading south to replace foreign workers.
Alan Wilson said, “The construction sector is a vital pillar of the Scottish economy, supporting infrastructure development, housing delivery and the green transition, yet it is experiencing a persistent and growing skills shortage already.”
