This level is the lynchpin of a skilled competitive workforce for the 21st century.Since Modern Apprenticeships were introduced in Scotland in 1996 there has been a steady increase in the number of young people entering the programme. The existing target of 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships by 2002 was increased in Making it Work Together, A Programme for Government, to 20,000 by 2003 to maintain momentum in the expansion of the programme.