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Defence: Training

Asked by Maureen BurkeLabourMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 10 February 2026UIN 110171

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of further education colleges in Scotland on the skills requirement for the defence industrial strategy.

Answered by Luke Pollard

Further education has a significant role to play in giving Scotland’s, and the UK’s, defence sector the highly skilled workforce they need, both now and in the future. That is why, alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, we have announced a £182 million skills package that contains initiatives to support people at all stages of their education and careers, including those in further education. This package includes specific funding allocated to support skills needs in Scotland, which as part of Scotland’s Defence Growth Deal, we are working with key stakeholders to define how this funding is best spent to support defence skills development in Scotland.

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