Scotland’s main electrical training organisations have welcomed government proposals to overhaul apprenticeship funding, but have warned that the reforms must deliver greater transparency and efficiency.
Trade body SELECT and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) said they supported plans to transfer responsibility for national training programmes from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
In their response to a government consultation on the draft Tertiary Education and Research (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill, the organisations said they backed the reforms “in principle” – but stressed that accountability, clarity and equal access for all training providers must be guaranteed under the new system.
The proposed legislation is intended to streamline funding arrangements for further and higher education, including apprenticeships, and to reduce duplication between different agencies.
SELECT and SECTT said: “There must be a parity of esteem among all stakeholders. The Bill must improve transparency, streamline funding opportunities and ensure fair and proportional allocation of resources.”
They added that funding processes must remain accessible to training providers of all sizes, including managing agents, which they said should be included in the statutory definition of apprenticeship delivery.
The organisations also called for:
- Incentives to support small employers that invest in accredited training;
- Ring-fencing of apprenticeship levy income for skills development;
- Reform of the apprenticeship funding contribution to improve viability of more costly training programmes.
SECTT and SELECT backed plans to broaden the expertise of SFC board members, particularly in relation to apprenticeships and work-based learning. They also called for the creation of a dedicated apprenticeship committee under the Council.
The groups further urged ministers to guarantee that standard-setting bodies and representatives from the building services engineering (BSE) sector would be directly involved in shaping National Occupational Standards and qualifications.
SECTT chief executive Fiona Harper said the organisations wanted to see a “robust operational infrastructure” that would allow SECTT and SELECT to continue delivering high-quality apprenticeships.
“Our hope is that the Bill will simplify and refine the apprenticeship management process,” Harper said.
Source: SELECT press release