# Skills Development Scotland and Scottish apprenticeships
Scottish apprenticeships run on their own track, Modern, Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships, funded and steered from Scotland, not England. If you're a Scottish tradesperson or employer, you still tap CITB like in the rest of GB, but your main apprenticeship money and rules come through Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Scottish frameworks, not the English ESFA system.
Quick rule of thumb: in Scotland, SDS pays the training provider for the apprenticeship, CITB helps you with grants, and the apprentice works towards an SVQ-based Modern Apprenticeship framework: not an English standard, but the end result still gets them the same CSCS-level recognition.
1. The Scottish apprenticeship types, Modern, Foundation, Graduate
Scotland runs three main types of apprenticeship:
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs)
- For employees aged 16+, already in a job.
- There are 70+ Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks, including multiple construction frameworks (for example, construction operations, craft trades, professional).
- Each framework includes: an SVQ or other competence-based qualification, Core Skills, and any industry-specific training.
Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs)
- For school pupils in S3–S6, taken alongside Highers.
- The Foundation Apprenticeship in Construction Skills lets pupils spend 1–2 years getting SCQF Level 5 units, practical experience and workplace tasters in multiple trades while still at school.
- Delivered by partnerships of school, college/training provider and employers, with work-based learning built in.
Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs)
- Degree-level apprenticeships where people are employed and study up to degree level (SCQF 8–11) while working.
- Used more for surveyors, civil engineering, construction management and similar roles than for trades.
Compared to England's standards system, Scotland's frameworks are more formal documents that set out the SVQ, Core Skills and any extra bits. They're built around SVQs instead of end-point assessment.
Tip for new starters For site trades, you're mostly dealing with Modern Apprenticeships and SVQs, with Foundation Apprenticeships acting as a feeder for school pupils.
2. SDS, who funds what (and how it differs from England)
In Scotland, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is the main public body behind apprenticeships:
- Provides advice and guidance to individuals on Modern Apprenticeships and training providers.
- Allocates funding to training providers for Modern Apprenticeships on behalf of Scottish Government.
- Runs apprenticeships.scot where people and employers find apprenticeship info and vacancies.
In England, ESFA and English apprenticeship standards are the route. In Scotland:
- Employers don't deal with ESFA at all.
- Training providers draw down Scottish Government funding via SDS, based on the Modern Apprenticeship framework and the apprentice's age/level.
A typical funding flow for a Scottish construction apprentice:
- You employ them.
- You sign them up with an SDS-contracted training provider on a specific Modern Apprenticeship framework (for example, Construction: Building, Civil Engineering, or Construction Operations).
- The provider claims the training funding from SDS. You may contribute to wages and travel but not usually to tuition for standard young apprentices.
Tip for new starters In Scotland you don't chase ESFA funding, you pick an SDS-approved provider, and they sort the funding from SDS while you focus on wages and on-site training.
3. SAAB, employer leadership
The Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) makes sure apprenticeships are employer-led.
- SAAB sits under the SDS Board and its job is to provide employer leadership of apprenticeships.
- It has groups for standards and frameworks, employer engagement, equalities and more.
- SAAB makes recommendations to SDS and Scottish Government on things like: which frameworks to prioritise, what skills are needed, and how funding should be shaped.
That means construction frameworks and funding decisions are heavily influenced by Scottish employers, not just civil servants.
Tip for new starters If you want a say in how Scottish construction apprenticeships look, get involved with industry bodies that sit on SAAB (such as SELECT, SNIPEF, CITB, builder federations), that's where the levers are.
4. SVQs vs NVQs, are they equivalent?
Scottish construction apprenticeships are built mainly around SVQs (Scottish Vocational Qualifications) instead of NVQs, but in practice, they sit at the same levels and CSCS treats them similarly.
- SVQs and NVQs are both competence-based. SVQs are mapped to the SCQF and regulated by SQA Accreditation, while NVQs sit in the English/Welsh system.
- SVQ/NVQ Level 2 or 3 (in the right trade) is what you need for Skilled Worker (blue) or Gold Advanced Craft CSCS cards.
- Many awards are jointly accredited (SQA/Ofqual) or have very similar structures, and CSCS guidance treats NVQ and SVQ at the same level as interchangeable for card purposes.
So Scottish apprentices doing SVQs still end up with recognised qualifications for CSCS and for working anywhere in the UK.
Tip for new starters Don't get hung up on the letters, an SVQ Level 2/3 in your trade is effectively the Scottish version of an NVQ and will get you the same level of card and recognition.
5. CITB Scotland vs CITB England, same levy, same grants
CITB is one organisation across England, Scotland and Wales:
- The CITB Levy proposals for 2026–29 keep the same UK-wide rates: 0.35% PAYE and 1.25% net CIS, with exemptions below £150k payroll and reductions for £150k–£499,999.
- CITB has achieved consensus for these 2026–29 levy proposals across the UK, including Scotland.
For grants:
- CITB grants and funding offers (apprenticeship grants, NVQ grants, short-course grants) are available to Scottish employers just as to English ones.
- Grant rates (for example, NVQ £600, apprenticeship attendance/completion payments) are set centrally and apply UK-wide.
The main difference is how CITB fits into the Scottish scene:
- CITB Scotland works with SDS and SAAB on Scottish frameworks and skills policy, rather than with ESFA.
- CITB support in Scotland is tuned to Scottish issues (rural delivery, Modern Apprenticeships, Scottish frameworks), but the money is still CITB money.
Tip for new starters As a Scottish employer you access apprenticeship funding via SDS and extra training money via CITB grants, it's not either/or, it's both.
6. Practical journey, starting a construction apprenticeship in Scotland
For a typical Scottish construction apprentice and employer, the route looks like this:
The person decides on a trade
They might come through school, a Foundation Apprenticeship in Construction Skills, work experience, or just applying direct.
They find an opportunity
Through apprenticeships.scot, SDS careers advice, a local college, or directly with a contractor.
The employer takes them on as an employee
They're a Modern Apprentice from day one, earn while they learn.
They're signed onto a Modern Apprenticeship framework
For example, a Construction Operations framework that sets out the SVQ, Core Skills, and additional training. The training provider registers the apprentice with the relevant Sector Skills Council and SDS. The SVQ is accredited by SQA/Ofqual.
SDS funds the training
SDS allocates money to the training provider for that apprenticeship, based on age and framework, and may also support over-25s in priority sectors.
CITB supports with grants
If the employer is in scope of the CITB levy, they can claim apprenticeship grants and NVQ/SVQ achievement grants on top.
Completion and progression
When the SVQ and other framework elements are done, the Sector Skills Council issues a Modern Apprenticeship Certificate of Completion. The apprentice can then progress to advanced craft, supervision or professional routes, often with Graduate Apprenticeships or higher SVQs.
Tip for new starters From your side as an employer, it's simpler than it sounds, pick an SDS-approved provider, sign the apprentice up, and then make sure you're claiming every CITB grant you're entitled to while giving proper site experience.
What to do next
- Call Skills Development Scotland and ask which Modern Apprenticeship construction frameworks are currently funded in your area and which providers deliver them · then pick one to partner with.
- Talk to CITB about your levy position and set up a grants account, so you can claim apprenticeship and SVQ grants for Scottish apprentices you take on.
- If you employ school-age staff or have good school links, look at offering placements for Foundation Apprenticeships in Construction Skills · it's a low-risk way to trial potential apprentices.
- Make sure the SVQs your apprentices are working towards line up with the CSCS card level you want them to reach (for example, SVQ Level 2 or 3 for Skilled Worker / Advanced Craft).
Sources
- SDS Modern Apprenticeship Framework documents · construction operations and related frameworks, detailing SVQ content, roles and SDS involvement.
- SDS and apprenticeships.scot guidance · Modern Apprenticeship funding and access via SDS.
- Foundation Apprenticeship in Construction Skills · framework specifications and college course info.
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board · structure and remit papers.
- Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/22/contents · UK-wide legislative base; devolved arrangements for Scotland.
- CITB levy proposals and consensus outcome for 2026–29 · levy rates and thresholds across the UK.
- CSCS and trade guidance · NVQ/SVQ levels and how both routes map to CSCS cards.
Know someone who needs this?
Was this guide useful?
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email us at hello@kilnguides.co.uk.
In crisis? Samaritans 116 123 ·