Scotland’s largest construction association says latest increase in England to £23,000 per apprentice dwarfs the current funding for Scottish learners

Scotland could suffer the loss of a generation of highly skilled electrical workers because of a growing discrepancy in apprenticeship funding, the country’s largest construction trade body SELECT has warned.

The electrotechnical 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 Managing Director 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), which delivers skills projects and careers information for the electrotechnical industry.

TESP said: “Skills England has advised us that the Secretary of State has accepted its funding recommendation of £23,000 for the Installation & Maintenance Electrician apprenticeship. This represents an increase of £3,000 on the current funding band.”

It added that this was “a very good result in the current climate” and thanked employers and providers who worked with TESP to develop the evidence base to secure the increase.

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.

And Mr 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 tough new immigration proposals as a “ticking time bomb” for Scottish construction, with the risk of skilled contractors heading south to replace foreign workers.

The association – which is currently celebrating its 125^th anniversary – said the proposals to raise the qualification standards for foreign workers could see a significant number abandoning the UK and returning home, with Scottish construction workers flooding south to fill the resulting shortage south of the Border.

Mr 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.”