Graeme Ogilvy: Creating skilled jobs for young Scots has to start now

Firstly, Angela Constance was appointed minister for youth employment, supported by a £30 million injection of funding. Secondly, the Scottish Government unveiled its Infrastructure Plan, which sees skills and learning embedded in £9 billion worth of forthcoming major projects.

This focus on youth employment is welcome; after all, it’s important that we all act now to support long-term growth. For example, the number of 16-to-19-year-olds working in construction has more than halved in three years. We’re facing a retirement time-bomb as a result, with about one in six workers due to retire within ten years. It’s therefore good to see that the Infrastructure Plan requires firms to produce a training and apprenticeship plan when undertaking government contracts.

ConstructionSkills has worked to deliver the right skills for economic growth locally and nationally, such as developing practical guidelines to ensure training is not an after-thought or subject to budgetary concerns. Our view is that they are instead embedded in the delivery of all types of publicly procured contracts – large and small – to help ensure all can compete effectively.

The major projects outlined in the plan, including the upgrading of the A9 and A96, will no doubt have a long term impact on supporting skills in construction.

Recognising skills as a strategic objective shows a true commitment to securing a stronger workforce for the future, by helping Scotland’s young people into training, work or education.

ConstructionSkills will continue to work with the Scottish Government to help deliver 25,000 modern apprentices each year, helping to bring new blood into the sector. To help meet this target and make a difference to youth employment and skills, it is important the major projects begin sooner rather than later.

• Graeme Ogilvy is director of ConstructionSkills Scotland.