The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has welcomed the "long-overdue" confirmation of funding the Scottish Government will receive from the new Apprenticeship Levy.

Scotland is to receive a £221 million share of funding from the upcoming levy, which will come into effect from 06 April 2017.

Gordon Nelson, Director of FMB Scotland, said it is encouraging the UK Government has guaranteed these funding levels even if the new levy does not raise its anticipated cash.

He added MSPs now have the clarity they need to start planning.

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"It's vital that they now offer the same degree of clarity to those industries awaiting a clear plan on how the Levy will be invested and used to tackle critical skills shortages," he said.

"We would warn strongly against the temptation to use these funds as a means by which to plug holes elsewhere in the Scottish budget. To do so would be to waste a golden opportunity to tackle, in particular, the skills crisis in construction at its root. Instead, the Scottish Government should ring-fence every penny of the funding it will receive from the Levy to be invested exclusively in training and apprenticeships.

"The prospect of the end to freedom of movement for EU citizens makes it imperative that the Scottish Government is more ambitious than ever with its apprenticeship targets, lest it risk exacerbating a skills shortfall that poses a serious threat to the future of a critical sector of our economy."

(LM)