Bryan HayNUS Scotland and the National Society of Apprentices (NSoA) are urging the Scottish and UK Governments to re-evaluate their approach to apprentices, criticising the recent delay in the introduction of Modern Apprenticeships.
The delay was caused by the Scottish Government’s postponement in approving the budget for Skills Development Scotland (SDS), which resulted in a hold-up originally scheduled to start on 1 April 2024.
Following public outcry and a statement from the Scottish Training Federation (STF) about the freeze’s negative impact, the government has now allocated the budget for SDS, allowing for new Modern Apprenticeships to commence on 16 April 2024.
Both organisations have voiced their frustration over the disruption this delay caused to apprentices, seeing it as symptomatic of a broader issue where apprentices are considered an afterthought. Given the UK’s apprentice minimum wage is significantly below the real living wage, apprentices in Scotland are effectively paying over £10,000 annually for their training, in contrast to home students who do not pay tuition fees.
In its “Manifesto for our Future”, NUS Scotland is demanding that MPs extend the Real Living Wage to all apprentices, or to devolve employment powers to Scotland. This would enable the Scottish Parliament to ensure all students and apprentices in Scotland are treated with the dignity they deserve.
Susan Loughlin of the NSoA Leadership team expressed deep concern over the situation: “It is hard to fully express the outrage of 38 thousand apprentices and the thousands of others waiting to start their apprenticeship who were left in the lurch by this careless disregard. We hear so much about the ‘quality education’ that apprentices are signing up for, but this disastrous mismanagement really shows the true quality of what we are getting.
“No college or university student would be expected to tolerate this. So why are we? Where is our Student Protection plan?
“Apprentices across Scotland and the UK deserve better than to be a mere afterthought to our governments. Public institutions shouldn’t have to throw up a fuss just for us to get funding on time. We shouldn’t be struggling to make ends meet while working and learning. We need to be treated fairly and we need a real living wage.”
