Letter from Minster for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, 10 February 2022
I am writing to advise the Committee that, further to my commitment to Parliament when the topic was debated last year, the above report will be published today on the Scottish Government website. A link to the report can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/978-1-80201-962-9
During the debate in November 2021, there was considerable interest in the volume of individuals who have benefitted from the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) and I am delighted that, during its first year (October 2020 – July 2021), I can confirm that at least 9,482 individuals attended courses across its three strands of delivery.
Although originally designed to support the anticipated high numbers of people losing their jobs at the start of the pandemic, NTTF was able to quickly adapt when these numbers did not materialise. Instead, the majority of training opportunities have focussed on responding to the needs of specific sectors, including those most impacted by the pandemic or where growth opportunities exist at either a local or national level. Despite the challenges of moving delivery online, there have been notable successes.
Programmes, including those supporting tourism and hospitality, rural skills and aerospace diversification, have received positive feedback from both participants and businesses taking part. We have been able to apply early feedback and learning from Year 1 into the design and delivery of the second year of the Fund which is currently ongoing. As well as supporting those affected by the pandemic, in Year 2 we have expanded the remit of NTTF to include support for those sectors affected by Brexit alongside the development and delivery of training to support the transition to net zero.
Year 2 delivery will continue until July this year. As publication of delivery figures is subject to the publication of Further Education data, we anticipate that the Year 2 report will be published at this time next year.
As you know, NTTF was established in response to the immediate impact of the pandemic, and, as we move out of the response period to focus on recovery,it is right that we reflect on how we best support individuals and sectors to succeed in the labour market now and in the future.
Looking forward, the Scottish Government has committed to simplifying and strengthening our lifelong learning offer to ensure people – particularly those most in need of upskilling and retraining – have access to the skills support they need. As noted in the report, we are working now to incorporate the learnings from NTTF, alongside findings from evaluations being conducted this year of our Individual Training Accounts and Flexible Workforce Development Fund programmes to inform the design and development of an optimised adult upskilling and reskilling offer. The intention is that this offer will be better targeted to provide high quality advice and training to those who need it the most, including those in poverty or at risk of moving into poverty.
In designing that offer, we will work with business organisations and employers, and with the tertiary education sector on proposals in the SFC Review for more shorter, industry-focused courses, ensuring that there is provision in the system to accommodate learner and employer needs. Timescales for this work will be set out once the first phase of evidence gathering is complete.
I hope this is helpful but please contact me if you require any further information on this matter.
Yours sincerely,