The Scottish Government has not responded to a request from UK ministers to match fund a GBP 10 million commitment to establish two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard confirmed in parliamentary answers.
Pollard told parliament that on 12 March the UK Government launched the £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal and committed £10 million from the £20 million allocated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under the £182 million Defence Industry Skills Package toward the creation of two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, one in the east and one in the west of Scotland, developed in consultation with Colleges Scotland.
He confirmed that he had written jointly with the Secretary of State for Scotland to the Scottish Government on 12 March asking them to match fund the commitment, adding that “I regret to report we have received no response from the Scottish Government so far.”
The match funding request is tied directly to the number of colleges that can be delivered, with Pollard noting the intention is to use the combined funding to “deliver two not one DTEC in Scotland.”
The answers were given in response to questions from SNP MP Dave Doogan, who had asked both what progress had been made on allocating Scotland’s share of the skills package and how much of the Scotland Defence Growth Deal derives from that package, with Pollard’s answers confirming that the £10 million DTEC commitment comes from the broader skills allocation rather than the £50 million growth deal itself, which draws from a separate £250 million pot committed to fund all five Defence Growth Deals across the UK.
