Action call over apprenticeships

The cost of apprenticeships was a concern for almost half of firms polled

Fewer than a fifth of small businesses have trained someone as part of the apprenticeship scheme in the past three years, a survey has found.

A report commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland revealed only 17% of firms had trained an apprentice in that period.

Scottish Labour has called on ministers to start delivering.

The Scottish government said it had invested in the Modern Apprenticeships scheme but would consider the report.

According to the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils in Scotland there are currently more than 30,000 people undertaking Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland.

The FSB poll found that 51% of bosses felt that taking on a trainee could help them meet skills shortages, but the number of small firms actually taking part in the Modern Apprenticeships programme was relatively low.

Bureaucratic barriers deter small businesses from creating more Modern Apprenticeships Andy Willox FSB Scotland

The research revealed that 70% of firms who had not taken on an apprentice cited a lack of understanding about the process as a reason, while cost was a concern for almost half of businesses polled.

The FSB said public sector funding was usually only available when firms were taking on apprentices under the age of 20.

Age restrictions on funding were cited as a concern for 53% of companies who had taken on an apprentice in the past three years.

Andy Willox, the federation's Scottish policy convener, called for a brokerage service to be set up to connect small businesses with would-be apprentices.

He said too many small firms would not even know where to start in recruiting an apprentice.

The Labour leader said firms want more details about hiring apprentices

"Elsewhere, bureaucratic barriers deter small businesses from creating more Modern Apprenticeships," he said.

"It is high time that the government properly established the proportion of Modern Apprentices being recruited by the smallest businesses and set out how this proportion is going to be increased in the coming years."

Labour leader Iain Gray also urged ministers to act.

He said: "The Scottish government needs to listen to what they are being told and launch an immediate drive to inform small businesses about how and why they should take on an apprentice.

"The fact is that many more companies say they would be willing to take on apprentices if they had more information and bureaucratic barriers were removed."

A Scottish government spokeswoman described the FSB report as being "helpful in highlighting many of the issues that were identified at our apprenticeship summit earlier this year".

She said the government had introduced a number of measures to support individuals and employers, including removing age restrictions on funding for apprenticeships in health, social care and retail, as well as providing £2,000 to employers to Adopt an Apprentice.