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We are currently delivering Calls 1, 2 and 3 of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. A decision on potential future funding rounds will be taken once the 2025-26 budget allocation is confirmed. £8.8 million is allocated in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government recognises that certainty of funding is critical to allow Local Employability Partnerships to plan provision effectively and to provide security for the people accessing services through No One Left Behind. That is why the Scottish Budget 2024-25 sets out our commitment to explore future multi-year funding for employability. We will be working to determine the detail underpinning this commitment in the coming months.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the hard work and dedication of partners in Scotland around delivering employability services which support a reduction in child poverty levels and support those facing structural barriers to enter into and sustain employment. Discussions are continuing to finalise allocations, with funding being released as decisions are taken to ensure activities in agreed areas can proceed as soon as possible.

The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities for Scotland. Our Green Industrial Strategy will set out how the Scottish Government will help businesses and investors to realise these opportunities. We will confirm when our Green Industrial Strategy will be published in due course.

The Scottish Government has established the Graduate Apprenticeship Enhancement Group. It held its first meeting in April and met again in May. Membership includes Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, representatives from universities and colleges, Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland, Student Awards Agency for Scotland and members of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board. Former and current Graduate Apprentices will also be invited to join the group. The Group is developing the workstreams which will support its work.

The Scottish Government has accepted the Panel’s recommendation and agrees it is essential that we consider the impact of policy and regulation on investment and investor sentiment. The New Deal for Business is improving how policy makers consider the regulatory impact of new policies on business and investors through an updated impact assessment. This will include early engagement with the investment community on policy proposals.

We are working with key partners to identify and quantify the resources currently focused on attracting mobile capital investment at scale. As part of a wider update on the implementation of the investor panel recommendations, we expect to be able to report initial findings, alongside the initial steps we can take to better define roles and responsibilities across the public sector.

The Scottish Government accepted the Investor Panel's recommendations and published its initial response alongside the Panel’s recommendations in November 2023. Officials have since been working with key partners to progress the development of a properly costed, shaped and prioritised pipeline of projects. The Scottish Government has committed to publishing an update on progress and the development of an investment pipeline will form a key part of this.

The number of Apprenticeship providers by year are as follows:

Based on data provided by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) (academic years 2017-2023) and Skills Development Scotland (2020-2023), the number of employers supported in each year since the start of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) is set out below. Please note that the SFC element of the 2022-23 figure is based on interim data which will be finalised in the coming months.