Morning, Monday, 26th October 2026
Online
This conference will focus on next steps for skills and apprenticeships in Scotland. It takes place as reforms to post-school education and skills training progress, alongside changes to funding, delivery and oversight arrangements, and wider commitments set out in the SNP 2026 Manifesto.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss findings of the June 2026 Post-school education and skills reform audit and the Fit for the Future report. Delegates will consider what these developments mean for the future direction of post-school learning and skills, including questions around governance, accountability and co-ordination across the skills system. We also expect discussion on funding, learner pathways and the capacity of institutions to respond to changing economic and workforce needs.
The agenda will assess priorities for reform across the post-school landscape, including the roles of Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council and other public bodies. Attendees will consider how skills provision can respond to labour market demand, regional need, and wider economic priorities. Discussion will also explore approaches to strengthening workforce planning and collaboration between employers, providers and public agencies.
Further sessions will look at apprenticeships and qualifications reform. Questions around apprenticeship funding, participation and progression pathways will be examined, alongside the potential role of the Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant. With Qualifications Scotland now operational, its emerging impact on work-based qualifications, system performance, and employer confidence will also be assessed.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy and strategy:
- the Post-school education and skill reform audit and Fit for the Future report - priorities for a national skills strategy in the new Parliament
- the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026 and the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 - responsibilities across public bodies and priorities for further reform
- funding:
- implications of Scottish Budget allocation - simplification of the post-16 skills funding system
- pressures across further and higher education - public and private funding models - employer investment
- skills needs and workforce planning:
- alignment of provision with economic, sectoral, and employer needs - supporting priorities including net zero, housebuilding, economic growth and competitiveness
- reform of Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council - place-based workforce planning and local skills needs
- apprenticeships reform:
- targets and delivery - implications of the Review of Modern Apprenticeship Contribution Rates
- supporting employer participation and investment - potential role of an Apprenticeship Accelerator Grant
- qualifications and system performance:
- implications of Qualifications Scotland reform - review of work-based qualifications - system performance, employer confidence and alignment across pathways
