£13m boost for training places at Scottish colleges

AN EXTRA 3,500 places are being created at Scotland’s colleges thanks to a £13 million funding boost.

Nicola Sturgeon talks to young people on a construction course at West College, Paisley. Picture: Hemedia

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the additional places would provide “high quality training” in key areas where skills are in demand and help young people into work.

Jobless young people will be able to get training, along with those who face difficulties finding work, while those who want to learn new skills could be offered retraining.

The new college places are being created on courses for key sectors of the economy where skilled workers are in demand, such as the energy industry, the food and drink sector, health and in digital media. Funding is coming from the Scottish Government, via the Scottish Funding Council’s Skills for a Competitive Workforce project, and the European Social Fund.

It comes after figures showed colleges had seen student numbers drop by 140,000 in the last five years. There were a total of 238,805 students at colleges in 2012-13, down from 379,233 in 2007-08. The fall came after colleges were told to prioritise courses that would improve people’s chances of finding work, and reduce the number of people on short courses and leisure classes.

Ms Sturgeon made the announcement during a visit to West College in Paisley.