Issue - meetings

Presentation by Anthony Standing, Skills Development Scotland

Anthony Standing, Skills Development Scotland, provided information to the group with a presentation relating to the work of Skills Development Scotland. Mr Standing provided information and statistics regarding Modern Apprenticeships in the Argyll and Bute and MAKI areas.

Mr Standing noted that the largest uptake of Modern Apprenticeships in the MAKI area were in the Construction, Social Care and Food and Drink industries, with 43 of the 80 frameworks available in operation in the MAKI area. Mr Standing noted that Modern Apprenticeships were part of a demand based service and promotion of Modern Apprenticeships was being carried out in schools, with employers, with parents and with pupils. Mr Standing noted that Foundation Apprenticeships were also becoming more popular with children in the last years of secondary education.

Mr Standing advised that Skills Development Scotland hoped to arrange a lunchtime event for local councillors to attend and be provided with further information in relation to Modern Apprenticeships in order to further publicise the benefits of them.

The Community Planning Officer advised that MAKI appeared to be performing well based on the statistics produced and suggested that further discussion took place at the next meeting of the CPP Management Committee around possible ways to build on the action.

The Chair thanked Mr Standing for his presentation.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group agreed to note the contents of the presentation.