We're heading for a two-tier system of electrical workers

The Herald Scotland

31-07-2025

Skills England, a government agency of the UK's Department for Education, confirmed the funding rise earlier this month to The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP), which delivers skills projects and careers information for the electrotechnical industry.
TESP said: 'Skills England has advised us that the Secretary of State has accepted its funding recommendation of £23,000 for the Installation & Maintenance Electrician apprenticeship. This represents an increase of £3,000 on the current funding band.'
In Scotland funding for apprenticeships has stalled for over seven years and has actually reduced by more than 30 per cent in real terms due to inflation.
In Scotland, electrical apprenticeships are offered through Skills Development Scotland's Modern Apprenticeship programmes, which provide paid, on-the-job training programmes that combine work with industry-recognised qualifications.
There is a clear danger of a two-tier system, with Scottish industry losing out to England's, as well as a very real risk that we will lose a generation of skilled electrical talent when we can least afford it.
The upshot is we cannot begin to have a renewables future in Scotland without electricians, so the Scottish Government must find the cash.
To exacerbate this situation, we believe the UK Government's tough new proposals on immigration raise the possibility that Scotland will be increasingly at risk of skilled contractors heading south to replace foreign workers.
We believe the proposals to raise the qualification standards for foreign workers could see a significant number abandoning the UK and returning home, with Scottish construction workers flooding south to fill the resulting shortage south of the Border.
Raising the thresholds for skilled workers may seem on the face of it to be a laudable aim, but it is likely to be detrimental to recruitment in the major UK population areas and that means workers will be sucked in from Scotland and elsewhere.
In areas such as London, it is estimated that 50 per cent of the workforce is from abroad, so if they leave, Scottish workers are likely to flood south to take up highly-paid jobs, leaving the domestic construction sector in crisis.
This could leave Scotland bereft of skills, with no opportunity to top up from abroad, and could lead to the worst of all possible worlds just as we need these skills to fulfil our transition to a net zero economy.
Construction is a vital pillar of the Scottish economy, supporting infrastructure development, housing delivery and the green transition, yet it is experiencing a persistent and growing skills shortage already.
This ticking time bomb could leave Scotland without enough skilled workers to build the country we need. And while there may be little we can do about immigration, Scotland absolutely must not be left behind when it comes to apprenticeship funding.
Alan Wilson is Managing Director of SELECT, Scotland's largest construction trade association.