Asked by: Zubir Ahmed (Labour - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what programmes are in place to support young people not in education, employment or training into careers in defence manufacturing and engineering.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working alongside other Government departments and defence industry partners to ensure the sector has the skilled workforce it requires across the UK, including opportunities for those not in education, employment or training (NEET) to access careers in defence manufacturing and engineering.
As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we committed £182 million to a defence industry skills package that will support individuals at every stage of the defence career pipeline including those who are NEET. This includes the establishment of five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in England, two in Scotland and one in Wales, providing specialist technical training tailored to future defence workforce needs. We are working with the Northern Ireland Executive on similar skills initiatives as part of the NI Defence Growth Deal.
In September, the Defence Secretary, alongside the Rt Hon Alan Milburn and key defence employers, signed a Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge, committing to expand routes into apprenticeships, increase work experience opportunities, and strengthen career engagement for young people.
Asked by: Zubir Ahmed (Labour - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the consultation on the location of the West of Scotland Defence Technical Excellence College; and whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of Glasgow Clyde College's Cardonald Campus as a potential site.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 12 March 2026, alongside the launch of the Scotland Defence Growth Deal, we announced a £10 million investment to support the creation of two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, including one in the West of Scotland. The colleges are being developed in partnership with Colleges Scotland.
We remain in consultation with Colleges Scotland about the priorities, resources and location of the colleges.
We are also awaiting a response from the Scottish Government regarding match-funding the UK Government’s £10 million investment. We hope discussions on securing match funding for Scotland’s second Defence Technical Excellence College can start soon.