The Scottish Government has confirmed £10 million of funding that will allow two new specialist defence colleges to be set up in Scotland, following an offer from the UK Government earlier this year.
The commitment was set out in a letter yesterday from economy secretary Stephen Flynn and Alyn Smith, innovation minister. It was addressed to Luke Pollard, the UK minister for defence readiness and industry, and Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander.
The UK offer dates back to 12 March, when the MoD set out plans for two colleges aligned to the defence clusters in the east and west of Scotland, developed with Colleges Scotland. The £10 million came from Scotland’s £20 million share of the £182 million Defence Industry Skills Package, and it always depended on Edinburgh providing match funding. At the time, Pollard publicly called on the Scottish Government to match fund the colleges.
Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) were created under the Defence Industrial Strategy to bring defence-specific training into further education. The aim is for employers to draw on a shared talent pipeline rather than each running its own apprenticeship scheme.
In England, the colleges with the designation include Telford, Rotherham and Furness, the last of which sits next to the Barrow submarine yard. In Scotland, the colleges are expected to offer specialist routes into careers in defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technology.
March’s £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal included £5 million for the Clyde Engineering and Innovation Centre near HMNB Clyde at Faslane. In their letter, the ministers describe defence as of “significant strategic importance” to Scotland’s economy, supporting investment, innovation, manufacturing and skilled jobs. They link the move to the Programme for Government commitment to a “responsible” Defence Industrial Growth Programme.
The letter does not define what it means by ‘responsible’ defence, however. In September 2025, First Minister John Swinney lifted the Scottish Government’s ban on public support for munitions production, but paused new awards to arms firms supplying countries where there is “plausible evidence” of genocide, including Israel. It is not yet clear whether similar conditions will apply to the colleges or the employers they work with.
Smith said: “Scotland is well placed to seize the opportunities arising out of the defence industry – with a highly skilled workforce, world-class colleges and universities and internationally recognised manufacturing. DTECs will allow workers to upskill and connect the next generation to opportunities in sectors where demand for a highly-skilled workforce is rising rapidly.
“I am pleased to confirm we will partner with the UK Government to develop plans for DTECs in Scotland and build on the £3.7 billion to Scotland’s economy provided by the defence sector.”
