The SNP is failing Scotland’s college leavers, Martin Whitfield MSP has said today, as statistics have revealed that the proportion of college leavers going on to positive destinations has fallen for the second year in a row.

Statistics published last week have revealed that in 2019/2020, only 84.4 per cent of Scottish college leavers went on to a positive destination – down from over 89 per cent in 2018/2019.

This drop in positive destinations is true for leavers who studied at SCQF 1-6, as well as those who studied at SCQF 7+, where the decrease in the proportion of those going onto positive destinations fell by 6.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively since 2017/2018.

Scottish Labour has said that the SNP has failed Scotland’s college leavers and has neglected the role that further education can play in our economic recovery.

Commenting, Scottish Labour further and higher education spokesperson Martin Whitfield MSP said: 

“These statistics underline the SNP’s complete failure to support further education students in Scotland. 

“This is not an isolated incident – the number of students going on to positive destinations has been in freefall for two years now. 

“The skills of our college leavers should be being put to work in helping to re-build our economy from the pandemic, but the SNP seem to be happy to let their skills go to waste. 

“This needs to end. It’s high time that the SNP took action and supported further education students.”