This is one reason that the SDS Board has highlighted a need to exercise caution in relation to a colleges-first model on the basis that college delivery of apprenticeship would appear to require significant additional public sector investment, making delivery much more expensive and potentially ‘crowding out’ this private sector investment. A breakdown of achievement for 2024/25 by provider type is included below: Contractor Type 24/25 contracted volumes Achievement College provider 18% 70.9% Other provider* 82% 81.5% Overall Programme Level 100% 79.8% *(i.e. independent provider, employer provider, local authority provider, lead providers) Separately, we would highlight that this issue of partial funding is reflected within the 1 OECD 2022 report on “Strengthening Apprenticeship in Scotland” , which states 1 https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/strengthening-apprenticeship-in-scotland-united- kingdom_2db395dd-en.html “Currently, Scotland's funding system disproportionately favours higher education over apprenticeships.