Scotland can support further education and vocational training:
Scotland can support further education and vocational training:
Funding parity for college and university students. Green MSPs will support a national entitlement to locally-delivered bursaries for all students in further education. This means that all students can access support and know how much they will receive before starting their course. This type of entitlement is already available for higher education students and provides much needed certainty. We also support the National Union of Students’ Scotland’s Shaping Scotland’s Future campaign, including calls for financial support to increase with inflation, a benefits system that does not claw back student support payments and improved services for students experiencing mental ill-health.
Investment in Further Education. In recent years a number of further education courses have been cut and opportunities for part-time study reduced. Scottish Greens will call for greater investment in further education and for the re-introduction of part-time and access courses that are vital for allowing those from the most deprived backgrounds to access education. We will also support measures to address the underrepresentation of minority ethnic young people in further education.
Funding for college student associations. Scotland’s Further Education students need a stronger voice. We will call for institutions to adequately fund college student associations and unions. Currently they are underdeveloped and underfunded compared to their university counterparts, which have a track record of providing a strong voice for their students and effecting institutional change.
Increased support for apprenticeships. The current Modern Apprenticeships scheme is highly gender-segregated and often pays poverty wages. Apprenticeships must pay at least living wage, regardless of age, must actively work to break gender stereotypes and must increase opportunities for disabled people and people from minority ethnic groups.