Good news from the SNP conference you may have missed
by The list of SNP Government achievements is long and wide-ranging. But there’s much more we want to do.
That’s why at our Spring Conference we announced new action to improve education, grow our economy and protect public services.
Here are the announcements you may have missed.
1. By the end of this parliament, we will invest £50 million to ensure that childcare staff working in private nurseries delivering our childcare pledge are paid the Scottish Living Wage.
2. By the end of 2019, there will be 5,000 new start Foundation Apprenticeships available in Scotland’s schools – allowing young people to undertake work-based learning alongside academic exams.
3. We will invest £35 million over the next five years to employ 800 additional mental health workers in our hospitals, GP surgeries, prisons and police stations.
4. Over £15 million extra will be invested in improving superfast broadband coverage for homes and businesses – benefiting 17,000 homes and businesses.
5. We will invest £1 million in a new pilot programme to help 270 young care leavers move into training, continued education or a job.
6. The number of accredited Living Wage employers has broken the 750 barrier – there are now 758 accredited employers across Scotland.
7. We will establish a new, three year, £36 million support fund to meet the upfront costs of digital skills training – to ensure Scotland does not lose out on the digital revolution.
8. Our women returners scheme will now provide funding to support 200 women to re-enter employment and encourage them to regain the confidence and skills they may have lost during career breaks.
9. SNP Councillors elected in May will be committed to ensuring that one per cent of their local authority’s budgets will be given directly to local communities through Community Choices Budgeting.