Colleges Scotland has welcomed new investment of £3.5million to enhance skills development across Scotland’s colleges.
 
The funding allocated for 2025/26 will drive two major initiatives.
 
The Care Skills Partnership will provide a national resource to strengthen colleges capacity to support Scotland's health and social care sector.  This initiative will focus on workforce planning, new entry upskilling, and reskilling existing professionals to meet critical staffing challenges.

The Offshore Wind Skills Programme will support the college sector create a skills programme to ensure a pipeline of locally trained workers who are needed to support energy transition.  This work will be delivered with the support of the Energy Skills Partnership to ensure a highly trained local workforce to support the offshore wind sector.
 
Dr Graeme Jackson, Interim CEO at Colleges Scotland said: “I’m delighted that investment is coming from Scottish Government to support these two vital programmes.
 
“Employers in Scotland’s health and social care sector face a high rate of staff turnover and colleges working with NHS Scotland will seek to find new ways of supporting new and experienced staff gain the skills they need to build great careers in health and care services.
 
“Equally, the Offshore Wind Skills Programme is a game-changer for Scotland’s journey to net zero. As we expand our offshore wind capacity, colleges will play a pivotal role in supplying skilled workers to power the transition to clean energy. This investment signals a strong commitment to supporting employers, strengthening our workforce, and driving Scotland’s economic future."
 
The announcement was made yesterday as Scottish Government confirmed support for the 2025/26 Budget from the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Scottish Green Party – read the announcement here.