A Scottish Conservative government would reverse the SNP’s crippling cuts to Scotland’s colleges, the party announced yesterday.
The announcement was made by Scottish party leader Ruth Davidson and is supported by Scottish Conservative Candidate for Paisley, Paul Masterton.
Davidson announced that she will dedicate an extra £60m to help Scottish colleges reinstate the 140,000 places which have disappeared since the SNP came to power in 2007, stating that “The SNP’s appalling treatment of Scotland’s colleges over the last five years has been this government’s hidden shame.”
It comes with figures showing that the number of students at Scottish Colleges is now the lowest on record, with staffing numbers have also fallen by a fifth since 2008.
Davidson accused the SNP of having “built monuments to itself on so-called free education, while quietly demolishing the ladder of opportunity that our colleges provide to thousands of youngsters.”
The cost would be met in its entirety by the party’s existing commitment to a graduate contribution – payable only after graduates are in a good job – which would be used specifically to help fund new College places.
The party also announced its support for creating an extra 10,000 modern apprenticeships by 2019/20.
Davidson said: “This is the Scottish Conservative alternative at this election. No £9,000 a year tuition fee as we see in England – instead, a fair contribution made by Scottish graduates helping to pay for a stronger College sector.
“It’s a fair deal. It’s time Labour and the SNP demonstrated they have the same vision for our country.”
Scottish Conservative Candidate for Paisley, Paul Masterton, said: “Since the SNP came to power, the number of college places at West College has fallen by 23%. That’s over 7,000 people who have had the opportunity to develop their skills and fulfill their potential denied to them.
“People trying to change career, single parents, mothers and carers, people who didn’t do so well at school. These are people trying to get the skills to move up, or simply get back into, the workplace and the SNP are slamming the doors of opportunity in their faces.
“In Scotland, you are much more likely to be unemployed and experience poverty if you have low educational qualifications, that’s why the SNP’s cuts to colleges are so damaging.
“It is absolutely fair that we ask those who, like myself, use university as a launchpad to a good job with a decent salary and a secure future to make a contribution to help reverse these cuts, and give college students the same opportunities we benefit from.
“The SNP is prioritising university education at the expense of those taking vocational or technical courses, failing both students and businesses.
“Until this is reversed the skills gap will only continue to widen.”