Skillsmart Retail welcomes move to increase Scottish Apprenticeships by 73 per cent

Skillsmart Retail, the sector skills council for retail, has welcomed the move from the Scottish Parliament to drastically increase the number of Apprenticeship places in Scotland.

The wide-ranging £33 billion national budget was given the green light last week, and £16 million was singled out to create 7,800 Apprenticeship places in 2009/10. The increase will raise the total number of available Apprenticeships by 73 per cent, from 10,700 to 18,500.

Ian McAvoy, Skillsmart Retail’s national manager for Scotland, said: “The approval of this funding package by the Scottish Parliament is great news for those looking to embark upon an Apprenticeship in all sectors.

“In the case of retail, it will give employers the chance to offer places to the future generation of employees at a time when the sector needs to keep hold of and increase skilled labour.

“We must now work together with training providers and employers to put these Apprenticeships into practice so that those on these schemes gain the qualifications which will stay with them for the whole of their careers.”