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The Skills Delivery Landscape Review was carried out as an independent review, and as such the Scottish Government was not involved in consultations that led to the recommendations.

As set out in Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation the Independent Advisor, James Withers, ran an open call for evidence and engaged directly with a range of individuals and organisations as a core part of his review process.

As stated in response to S6W-19919 and S6W-19920 on 9 August 2023, the 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy estimates the cost of decarbonising Scotland’s buildings at £33 billion.

The cost of decarbonising the NHS will vary amongst individual Health Boards and types of property as there is significant variety in the size of individual buildings across the Estate. It is anticipated that many of the interventions required will result in long term savings and we will work with NHS Boards to estimate the high-level costs of key initiatives that are of national significance.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy estimates the cost of decarbonising Scotland’s buildings at £33 billion.

Costs will be dependent on the route taken to decarbonising buildings, including whether they connect to a heat network or install individual heating solutions, and the depth of energy efficiency retrofit required.

The first step is planning at a strategic level for decarbonisation pathways. Local Authorities are currently preparing Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) which will set out decarbonisation pathways for local areas. These will be published later this year and will inform decisions around retrofitting across the public sector estate.

In partnership with the wider public sector we will build on LHEES to fully understand the costs associated with transitioning to zero direct emission heating systems across the public estate.

As stated in response to S6W-19919, S6W-19920 and S6W-19921 on 9 August 2023, the estimated cost of decarbonising Scotland’s buildings is
‎ £33 billion. While universities are autonomous institutions, with responsibility for their own estate, provision and maintenance, we will work in partnership with universities and wider stakeholders to fully understand the costs associated with transitioning to zero direct emission heating systems across different sectors.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government recognises the importance equipping people of all ages and stages of life with the knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive in the 21 st Century. This forms a core part of all post-school pathways, including apprenticeships, and is reflected in the recently published Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills, as well as underpinning the Curriculum for Excellence. Our overarching programme of education and skills reform will continue to ensure that we have a system that is fit for the future.

As stated in response to S6W-19919, S6W-19920, S6W-19921 and S6W-19922 on 9 August 2023, the 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy estimates the cost of decarbonising Scotland’s buildings at £33 billion. We will work in partnership with the wider public sector to fully understand the costs associated with transitioning to zero direct emission heating systems across the public estate.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Small and micro businesses tend to make up a high percentage of Modern Apprentice (MA) employers. Data from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) shows that in 2019, 49.7% of MA employers were microbusinesses (0-9 employees) and 30.8% were small businesses (10-49 employees).

SDS, our national skills body, undertakes a variety of activity to promote apprenticeships to small businesses. This includes Scottish Apprenticeship Week (SAW) which is a long-standing and award winning campaign designed to raise the profile of apprenticeships, supported by hundreds of employers each year.

During SAW, the annual Scottish Apprenticeship Awards recognises apprenticeship delivery and seeks to reward and recognise employer apprenticeships, including a category for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

SDS also commission learning providers to promote and recruit apprentice employers including SMEs. Apprenticeships.scot is a platform which enables employers to advertise apprenticeship opportunities for free which SMEs are encouraged to use. SDS undertakes a comprehensive digital marketing programme in support of Scottish Apprenticeships, including ongoing engagement through social media channels and promotion of Apprenticeships.scot .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19952 on 9 August 2023, lodged by Liam Kerr. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Those opting to take part in an apprenticeship are employed by various organisations across Scotland. Therefore, it is at the discretion of individual employers in regards to placement opportunities available outside of Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support the international mobility of staff and learners. It is our aspiration for this programme to support apprenticeship training under the vocational education and training stream.

We are working with stakeholders to develop and will undertake a test and learn pilot for the Scottish Education Exchange Programme in 2023-2024. We will share additional information in due course.

The Scottish Government accepted the recommendations in the 2022 Planning for Skills Report and have taken action to improve our assurance and oversight of skills planning, including through the actions taken as part of the Shared Outcomes Framework (published in March 2022). The Scottish Government also published the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) in March 2022, which includes analysis and actions to develop Scotland’s Skilled Workforce.

In Autumn 2022, the Scottish Government initiated the independent review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, led by James Withers, to provide recommendations on how the skills functions of our public bodies, including skills planning, should change to ensure the system remains fit for purpose for delivering the ambitions in NSET.

In his final report, published in June 2023, James Withers recommends that the Scottish Government takes responsibility for national skills planning. Following that report, in its Initial Priorities paper, published on 28 June 2023 alongside the Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills, the Scottish Government accepted the basis of many recommendations made by James Withers including taking responsibility for national skills planning and enhancing the role of employers in shaping system planning priorities, pathways and provision.

We will be working over the coming months, with partners, to explore the practicalities of implementing these priorities including our approach to developing new national and regional skills planning processes.