The Scottish Government has confirmed it will match the £10 million offered by the Ministry of Defence to establish two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland.
Alyn Smith, the Innovation Minister, has written jointly with Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn to Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, and to Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Scotland, confirming that Edinburgh will put up the money needed to unlock the UK Government contribution. We understand that plans are underway to allocate sites in the east and west of the country, supporting skills for careers in defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technology.
Smith said: “Scotland is well placed to seize the opportunities arising out of the defence industry, with a highly skilled workforce, world-class colleges and universities and internationally recognised manufacturing. DTECs will allow workers to upskill and connect the next generation to opportunities in sectors where demand for a highly-skilled workforce is rising rapidly.
“I am pleased to confirm we will partner with the UK Government to develop plans for DTECs in Scotland and build on the £3.7 billion to Scotland’s economy provided by the defence sector.
“Our Programme for Government committed to establishing a responsible defence industrial growth programme to maximise the economic opportunities arising from increased defence spending. We will work with partners to ensure our workers are equipped with the right skills for emerging jobs in this vital sector.”
A consultation will now be held to work out which colleges can achieve DTEC status and how the scheme is implemented.
The offer being accepted dates back to 12 March, when the Ministry of Defence set out plans for two colleges aligned to the defence clusters in the east and west of Scotland, developed with Colleges Scotland. The £10 million came from the £20 million allocated to Scotland out of the £182 million Defence Industry Skills Package, and it was contingent from the outset on Edinburgh providing match funding.
Scotland’s defence industry contributes around £3.7 billion a year to the economy, and its geography accounts for the east and west split. The west has BAE Systems at Govan and Scotstoun building the Type 26 frigates, Thales at Govan, and the submarine base at Faslane with its associated armaments depot at Coulport. The east has Babcock at Rosyth assembling the Type 31 frigates, Leonardo in Edinburgh producing radar and electronic warfare equipment, and Raytheon at Glenrothes. All of them compete for the same pool of welders, electrical technicians, systems engineers and naval architects, and all of them have warned about the pipeline.
Defence Technical Excellence Colleges were created under the Defence Industrial Strategy to put defence-specific training into the further education system, so that employers draw on a shared pipeline instead of each running its own apprenticeship scheme in isolation. Colleges carrying the designation in England include Telford College, close to the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land plant, Rotherham College and Furness College, next to the submarine yard at Barrow.
Good news!