Scottish Conservatives aiming to create 10,000 apprenticeships

Scottish Conservatives candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast Peter Chapman has announced that the party is aiming to create 10,000 apprenticeships to help more young people to get into work.

Chapman made the pledge during a visit to Score Group, an engineering firm that is already taking on over 200 apprentices.

Opportunities

The Scottish National Party is aiming to increase the number of apprenticeships that it delivers each year from 25,000 to 30,000 by 2020.

However, Chapman stated that the Scottish Conservatives are aiming for an even higher increase of 10,000, and also pledged to provide more opportunities for young people by creating at least ten more Skills Academies across the country.

Discussing the need for more apprenticeships, Chapman said that Scotland has just half the number of apprenticeships as England, and that this has to change.

He stated that the Scottish Conservatives want to see 10,000 apprenticeship starts by the end of parliament, which is double the amount that the SNP is proposing.

In addition, Scottish Labour has also pledged to increase the number of modern apprenticeships each year to 30,000.

Investment

Commenting on the aim of creating more apprenticeships, Score Europe Ltd Managing Director Conrad Ritchie said that more opportunities need to be provided for young people and generations to come, but that this is becoming “increasingly difficult” in the current climate.

He said that the company is pleased to hear that the Scottish Conservatives are aiming to increase investment in college education and apprenticeships.