Event Summary

We are pleased to give you advance notice of Holyrood Insight’s annual The Future of Apprenticeships Scotland Conference taking place in Edinburgh this November

Save the date to join leaders from government, business, tertiary education, and training to explore the reform of Scotland’s apprenticeship system.

The Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act puts apprenticeships on a statutory footing for the first time, streamlines funding, and creates new governance structures. With Scotland’s apprenticeship system undergoing its most significant reform in a generation, this national conference will help you understand what the new system and funding landscape will look like in practice.

With £198 million invested in Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships in 2025-26, we will explore how Modern Apprenticeships can respond to sector skills shortages and how Foundation Apprenticeships are expanding access to work-based learning.

Through keynote sessions, expert panels, policy updates, and best practice case studies, we will examine how to navigate the funding landscape, what support is available, and how employers and SMEs can access investment across priority sectors including health and social care, construction, digital, engineering, and the green economy.

We will explore strategies to drive up uptake, improve completions, and sustain opportunity across Scotland. Stereotypes and stigma remain stubborn barriers – we will set out practical steps to challenge perceptions, create accessible pathways, and build parity of esteem with higher education. You will hear directly from top apprentices on what works when retaining young talent and how you can improve the experiences of apprentices.

A dedicated spotlight session on Graduate Apprenticeships will explore how they can continue to grow – helping people gain degree-level qualifications while working, and supporting employers to develop advanced skills in priority sectors.

Don’t miss this opportunity to come together with colleagues from across government, business, and tertiary education to harness the potential of apprenticeships reform in Scotland.

Key Outcomes

  • The establishment of a new Apprenticeship Committee
  • Preparing for changes to governance and funding frameworks
  • Aligning apprenticeship pathways with Scotland’s future workforce and economic priorities
  • Expanding access to Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships across regions and sectors
  • Strengthening employer engagement and increasing SME participation in apprenticeship programmes
  • Achieving parity of esteem between vocational and educational pathways
  • Supporting priority sectors including health and social care, construction, green energy, digital technologies, and advanced manufacturing
  • Guidance for meta-skills delivery in Modern Apprenticeships
  • An update on sector-specific framework reviews
  • Improving access, inclusion, and progression for diverse learners
  • Improving collaboration between government, industry, colleges, and universities