Halcro Johnston questions First Minister on lack of apprenticeship choice in Highlands and Islands
Jamie Halcro Johnston, Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has expressed disappointment after he questioned Nicola Sturgeon about the lack of foundation apprenticeships in financial services in the Highlands and Islands region.
In her response, the First Minister largely ignored the question, instead focusing her attentions on Brexit.
He said: “I asked the First Minister a perfectly reasonable question on behalf of my constituents and all I got back was an irrelevant diatribe about Brexit.
“This is very disappointing because the provision of vocational education is entirely a matter for the Scottish Government and has nothing to do with Brexit.
“Given the importance of financial services to the Scottish economy, and the opportunities in it for well-paid jobs, it should surely be a priority for the SNP to ensure that people across Scotland have access to the education which will allow them to develop their careers.
“This is something Nicola Sturgeon can do something about but won’t. Meanwhile, my constituents miss out”.
Mr Halcro Johnston, who is the Shadow Minister for Jobs, Employability and Training, also called on the Scottish Government to take into account the cost of reskilling into a technology career – more than £6,000 – and asked whether support could be provided to help cover the cost.
“Technology is another critical sector both for Scotland’s economy and as a career opportunity for many people.
“Again, it was very disappointing that the First Minister did not even refer to my question in her reply.
“When she became First Minister in 2014, Nicola Sturgeon pledged that her number one priority would be education. That now seems a very long time ago indeed.”
