The Scottish apprenticeship system has made remarkable progress, becoming one of the most flexible and wide-ranging systems in the OECD. Until the COVID‑19 pandemic intervened, apprenticeship starts had risen 10% between 2013/14 and 2019/20. Modern Apprenticeships, the typical apprenticeship in Scotland, reach a broad group of learners, including those from more deprived backgrounds and adult learners, offering them a chance to upgrade their skills in a changing job market. With the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships, apprentices can now gain a university degree, while new Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level 4 and 5 customised awards offer work-based alternatives to pupils who might otherwise not have completed upper secondary education.

Outcomes have also been positive. Ninety percent of those completing their Modern Apprenticeship were in work six months later; employers reported that apprentices improved not just their technical skills but also their communication and teamwork – 21st century skills in increasing demand.

Despite this progress, Scotland’s apprenticeship system will need to be strengthened if it is to help the economy close its growing skills gaps. It will need to be more responsive to employers’ needs. Although employers take the lead in developing the frameworks and standards that underpin apprenticeships, not all play an equal role in apprenticeship design, and only 16% of employers take on any apprentices at all. Smaller employers – the backbone of the Scottish economy – are particularly under-represented in both areas. Because learning providers play a mediating role in determining the scale and mix of apprentice places, there is a danger that the system will be skewed towards the most cost‑effective training rather than the training that is most needed by learners and employers. The Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) is therefore contributing to ensuring employers are given a leading role in the apprenticeship system, both in terms of design and delivery, to help make the system more responsive to changing skill needs.

The flexibility of the current system is its strength, but it also presents a risk. Scotland has some of the shortest apprenticeships among OECD countries, and some apprentices may receive no off-the-job training at all, posing possible challenges in terms of training quality. Setting certain minimum requirements could help strengthen the apprenticeship brand without losing much of the system’s current flexibility.

Whether it is identifying potential apprentices and matching them to employers, or reducing the burden of assessment and accreditation, technology offers many ways to make apprenticeships systems more efficient and effective and hence more accessible to learners and employers alike. “Big data” can increasingly be harnessed to identify future skills needs, monitor the outcome of apprenticeships and even identify students at risk of dropping out. Robotics and virtual reality allow students a safer environment to master skills than would otherwise be feasible while assistive technology opens doors to students with disabilities. Scotland has strong innovation policies and has already made strides in developing online apprenticeships, virtual learning and e-portfolios but maximising these opportunities will rely on the capacity of the teaching and training workforce to turn strategies into practice. Strategic guidance and practical support can help in that respect.

As Scotland strengthens its apprenticeship system, it needs to ensure that no potential learners are left behind. Much progress has been made, including mainstreaming its “fair work” agenda and setting Apprenticeship Equality Action Plan, with some of the intended targets already being made. Despite the strong equity benefits apprenticeships offer, Scottish Government funding per student is less generous than for tertiary degrees, potentially reducing the number of places on offer and driving some learners into less suitable programmes. Although the flexibility of the current system makes it easy for workers with some experience to accelerate their apprenticeships, there is no clear route for those who already have almost all the skills they need to obtain a qualification directly. Nor are there clear routes for the sort of onward development found in other strong apprenticeship systems. In the German-speaking countries in Europe, this is partly addressed through the Meister, or “master craftsperson” qualification, that allows qualified apprentices, often with work experience, to acquire higher-level professional skills, learn how to run their own business, and develop the skills to train apprentices themselves. Meister qualifications could equip successful apprentices in Scotland to develop further and help create a new generation of workers for Scotland’s future.