QUESTIONS ASKED OVER LABOUR'S PLANS

For Immediate Release – Monday 14th February 2011




Attn: NEWS DESKS



POLITICAL / ECONOMY CORRESPONDENTS



SNP APPRENTICESHIP PLEDGE BUILDS ON SUCCESS



Labour are facing questions over their claims on support for young people after not only voting against apprenticeships and bursary support in last week’s budget but after it became clear there election pledge is another uncosted employ promise.



Yesterday the SNP made a pre-election pledge to expand on the steps for young people announced in last week’s budget with a guarantee of 25,000 apprenticeship places a year for the next four years and an expanded programme to help young people into work with 25,000 training places under the party’s £40 million Youth Employment Scotland (YES) proposals.



In contrast the Labour party has only put a figure of 10,000 for a newly set up Future Jobs Fund – less than a week after they voted down £10 million of support for small business to take on employees, a fund for the voluntary sector to provide employment opportunities and a record 25,000 apprentices plus further support for bursaries. Not only is this 40,000 less than the SNP but half the 20,000 places they promised last May in their Westminster election manifesto and a tenth of the places promised by Iain Gray in November (Newsnight Scotland).



Challenging Labour, Glasgow SNP MSP Bob Doris – the Deputy Convener of the Scottish Parliament's Local Government and Communities Committee - said:



“A re-elected SNP government will extend our policy of 25,000 apprenticeships a year from next year to the next four years and also expand training places that get young people into work with a £20 million investment to provide 25,000 training for work places in each of the next four years.



"The SNP in Government has already taken action by increasing apprenticeships to a record 20,000 and increasing bursaries by 25% before this years budget to help our young people. At the coming election we will do more.


“In contrast Labour’s position is mired in confusion and contradiction.



"How many places are they offering and how many young people do they actually intend to help?


"How will it be funded? Labour have said the UK Government will pay, then asked the Scottish Government for the funds. Is this simply an empty promise to Scotland's young people?



“After voting against a budget for jobs and training that gave them everything they wanted – and more – Labour’s job pledges are looking confused and unambitious.



ENDS


Notes:




The SNP yesterday announced a package for Scotland’s young people that builds on our record of reversing the decline in apprenticeship places under Labour, supporting a record 20,000 apprenticeships this year and increasing bursary funding by 25% prior to this year’s budget.



Labour have once again announced their plans for a Future Jobs Fund – less than a week after they voted down £10 million of support for small business to take on employees, a fund for the voluntary sector to provide employment opportunities and a record 25,000 apprentices plus further support for bursaries (totalling a 36% increase in funding over the last 4 years). Last May in the Westminster election manifesto they promised 20,000 places in Scotland.




The Numbers game


The SNP’s commitments on apprenticeships and training for work build on the thousands of places currently available to offer 50,000 training places a year for the next four years.



Today Labour put forward 10,000 places through their Future Jobs Fund (FJF).


In the Westminster Scottish Labour manifesto promised 20,000 places.


In a Newsnight Scotland interview (1/11/10) Iain Gray said “we’ve committed to 100,000”.



Today Andy Kerr cut that to 10,000 again.



And the cost – can Labour pay for these FJF places?



At Labour conference Andy Kerr said Labour would put £40 million into this.



SCVO estimate places provided through the voluntary sector cost around £6,500 per capita. Labour’s previous scheme allowed organisations to claim £6,500.



To deliver 10,000 places would therefore cost up to 65 million.



Labour are £25 million short.


Do Labour have the money? The last suggestion from Labour in the same Newsnight Scotland interview with Iain Gray, is that they would ask the UK Government to fund the places – because it takes young people off benefit.


If that’s the case why did they reportedly ask John Swinney to find £40 million from the Scottish budget to fund the same scheme?


Have the UK Government confirmed they will fund the scheme and if not where would Labour find the money?



The SNP's record



20,000 apprenticeships in 2010/11 and a budget commitment of 25,000 for 2011/12 - an increase from the fewer than 16,000 inherited in 2007.


Maintaining Education Maintenance Allowance to support young people at school - an allowance scrapped by the Tory Government



Approx 19,000 training places for mostly 16-19 year olds to help young people get into work.


An increase in college bursary funding of 25% or £17 million from 2007 to 2010 funding 42,200 college students which has been further increased for 2011/12 by £10 million ensuring 50,000 bursaries can be provided making a total increase of 36% or £27 million from 2007.