MAs are developed by Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs). SSCs / SSBs consult with employers and key partners in their sector to produce a training programme which meets the needs of employers.

In Scotland, there are more than 70 different MA Frameworks and they are all designed to deliver a training package around a minimum standard of competence defined by employers through SSCs / SSBs. An MA contains the same three basic criteria:

• A relevant SVQ / NVQ (or alternative competency based qualifications);
• Core Skills; and
• Industry Specific Training

In March this year, the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils in Scotland published its first report on the effects of the economic downturn on employers in Scotland. SSCs, through their regular contact with employers across the country and the wider UK, provided intelligence that gave an insight into the issues being faced by businesses through the economic downturn.

As a result, this intelligence helped to influence the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to put into place additional funding for MAs, with the Government announcing an increase in the region of £16 million. What this meant was that a further 7,800 MA places would be made available, in addition to those already in place, so that employers could continue to train apprentices to ensure that employees have the right skills, at the right time, when the country begins to recover from the current economic climate.

Among the announcements made this year so far have been funding for MAs in sectors such as:

• Hospitality
• Health and Social Care
• Life Sciences
• Management
• Retail
• Early Years
• Financial Services
• Creative Industries
• Food and Drink