Scotland’s Auditor General has said there is a “concerning gap” between intent and progress to deliver post-school education and skills reform.
A new report said the Scottish Government’s intentions for reform lack a clear delivery plan and progress is slow.
The report suggests ministers should in the next six months develop an overarching programme delivery plan and strengthen the leadership and governance of reforms.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said the Government needs to “better communicate” with those working across the sector.
The Government needs to better communicate and work with learners, business and those working across the education and skills sector
He said: “There’s a concerning gap between intent, planning and progress to deliver post-school education and skills reform. A lack of clarity on outcomes, insufficient skills and resourcing, gaps in governance, and uncertainty over the costs and benefits must be addressed.
“Successful reform on this scale demands understanding and engagement with all those impacted. The Government needs to better communicate and work with learners, business and those working across the education and skills sector.”
Post-school education and skills provision covers learning and training through college, university, and apprenticeships.
The Scottish Government says it invests more than £3 billion in this sector each year, and the funding is currently delivered through three public bodies: Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council, and the Student Awards Agency Scotland.
The Auditor General said the reform programme, which aims to create a simpler system, more responsive to Scotland’s economic and social needs, has multiple risks to delivery, including inadequate resourcing, weaknesses in governance arrangements, and a need to still fully understand costs, impacts and outcomes.
The report said legislation passed in March to simplify the funding body landscape is a significant milestone but overall progress has been slow.
It also highlighted that financial sustainability of the post-school system has been “increasingly volatile” in recent years.
It pointed to the Auditor General’s 2025 report which highlighted the college sector has faced “extremely difficult financial challenges”.
The 2026/27 Scottish budget provided a 10% increase in funding for the college sector but this is in the context of a 20% real-terms reduction in funding for colleges between 2021/22 and 2025/26.
Responding to the report, Tertiary Education Minister Ben Macpherson said: “I respect Audit Scotland’s ongoing scrutiny. However, people should be reassured that we’re already proactively working to address much of what they recommend, and we are making meaningful and impactful progress.
“We began a refresh of the Post-School Education and Skills Reform Programme in January 2026, to drive forward improvements, and we will update the Scottish Parliament on this in early autumn.
“We are working collaboratively with industry, educational institutions, and other stakeholders on this refresh, and are confident that together we can deliver further, significant improvements.
“In addition to passing landmark legislation in January 2026, which will streamline funding provided for post-school education and skills training, there has also been strong progress on the transfer of responsibility for the funding of further education student support from the Scottish Funding Council to Student Awards Agency Scotland.”
“Reforming post-school education is complex and challenging, and we value all input and feedback on this collective endeavour. Thank you to Audit Scotland for their constructive engagement and helpful analysis.”