Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a long-term and sustainable model for National 5 Creative Industries courses in roof slating and stone carving to be rolled out across Scotland.
Operational responsibility for the National 5 Creative Industries course is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
This Skills for Work qualification has been designed to link broadly to National Occupational Standards in the creative industries sector and provides some of the underpinning knowledge required for the industry. The course also gives learners experience of the practical skills required to work in the sector and helps prepare them for further training.
The course is context free so centres can choose which creative industries sector to base their course on. The City of Edinburgh Council is piloting using Roof Tiling and Stone Carving as the context for their course. This is not an SQA pilot although SQA did agree with the City of Edinburgh Council that the course could be used for this purpose.
The qualification itself is already established and available to all schools in Scotland.
We want young people to have the opportunity to undertake the pathway that best matches their abilities and aspirations.
SQA attainment data from Results day this year showed that the number of pupils and students achieving passes in vocational and technical qualifications and awards has reached a record high of 110,380 – this represents a year-on-year increase of 22.6% compared to 2024.