The UK government has urged the Scottish Government to match funding for two proposed defence technical colleges, with ministers arguing the facilities are needed to support a growing defence order book and rising demand for skilled workers.
Speaking during the announcement of a £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal, Defence Minister Luke Pollard outlined plans for two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, one on Scotland’s east coast and one on the west.
When asked by the UK Defence Journal whether the Scottish Government had been approached about matching the funding and what the timeline might look like, Pollard said discussions had already taken place with education bodies and officials. “There’s been engagement with Colleges Scotland, who are leading this effort,” he said. “The opportunity to create two DTECs in Scotland directly supports the defence order book that we have, not just in maritime, but across a whole range of advanced manufacturing.”
Pollard said the government wants to move quickly to establish the colleges because defence spending is increasing and companies are already facing skills shortages.
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“We want to deliver DTECs quickly because we know that there is a full order book for many of our businesses in Scotland and that there’s an increasing defence budget over the next few years that will deliver more jobs and opportunity,” he said. “But the only way we’re going to be able to harness that is if we create the skills necessary to deliver it.”
He added that detailed plans for the colleges would now be developed jointly. “I’m really excited about the opportunity, both on the east coast and the west coast,” Pollard said. “It will be for the Ministry of Defence, the Scotland Office, hopefully the Scottish Government and Colleges Scotland to work to develop those plans in the coming months.”
When asked whether the Scottish Government had been supportive so far, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said the proposal was now formally being offered to ministers in Edinburgh.
“The Scottish Government have taken a different approach to defence skills in recent years than the UK Government,” he said. “But we’re making a good faith offer today… the ball is in the court of the Scottish Government to decide whether they want to recognise that responsibility and match the funding commitment that we’ve made.”
Pollard added that Scottish officials had already been aware of the proposal and that the UK government expects a more collaborative approach on defence skills. “We’ve spoken to Scottish Government officials about DTECs in Scotland and have been for quite some time,” he said. “They should be in no doubt about our determination to build the skills base.”
He also referenced previous disputes over defence training investment on the Clyde.
“Especially since what we saw on the Clyde with the welding centre not being funded by the Scottish Government and the MoD stepping in, we’ve been absolutely clear that we expect to see more support for skills in Scotland,” Pollard said.
The proposed colleges form part of a wider defence growth deal aimed at strengthening Scotland’s defence industry, which already supports thousands of jobs across shipbuilding, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
