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Key industries to be boosted by new workplace learning model addressing critical skills gaps

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University of the West of Scotland and West College Scotland to offer unique partnership for workplace learning in Scotland.
Key sectors facing skills gaps across Renfrewshire and the West of Scotland are to be bolstered with a new apprenticeship programme delivered in collaboration with University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and West College Scotland (WCS).
It marks the first equitable college-university partnership in Scotland established to jointly provide a Graduate Apprenticeship programme focussed on delivering workplace learning solutions.
The first pilot cohort enrolled onto the Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Graduate Apprenticeship programme in September 2026, with Cyber AI and Healthcare programmes planned for a future date.
UWS and WCS are working with employers to increase capacity and address critical skills gaps across these sectors, with Scottish Engineering anticipating needing additional workers across multiple engineering roles, including defence, aerospace and manufacturing equivalent to 58% of the 2024 workforce volume, by the end of 2027.
Similarly, the UK Government's Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2026 report notes that cyber security businesses expect their need for AI skills among employees to increase over the next 12 months, up from 65% in 2025.
 
As a place maker and an anchor institution UWS is committed to supporting the region’s future, and this collaboration will help us build on our shared ambition to create a more skilled, inclusive and sustainable future for local people and businesses. I’m particularly proud that in this new delivery model, equity is built in from the start, bringing together the best of UWS and WCS’s expertise and experience. This partnership builds upon our work with colleges and other partners across our communities to deliver for learners.
Professor James Miller
Principal & Vice-Chancellor, UWS
Meanwhile, Scotland's aging population, as well as other impacts such as the Covid-19 pandemic have put greater pressures on Scotland's healthcare workforce, with Skills Development Scotland forecasting a demand of an additional 34,000 people working across the healthcare sector between 2025 and 2028.
This partnership between UWS and WCS is a new collaborative model for Scotland with the programmes being co-delivered by both the University and the College as equal partners, with both organisations sharing their experience and expertise to make programmes attractive to both prospective students and their employers.
Ewan Bell is among the first cohort of students rolled onto the Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Graduate Apprenticeship Programme in September with H&I Engineering, a Dumfries-based employer with a workforce of welders, pipefitters and fabricators.
I done my HNC in Cyber Security at Dumfries and Galloway College, but I wanted to move into something that was more hands-on. I'm interested in software engineering, and also design and manufacturing side of things, too. I was attracted to the broad range of practical skills this apprenticeship offers, and the qualification expands my options for the future.
Ewan Bell
Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Graduate Apprenticeship

This partnership has been shaped by a clear understanding that the skills landscape is changing rapidly. Employers are facing increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining talent, particularly in sectors that are critical to the future success of our region and our national economy. By combining the practical, employer-focused strengths of further education with the advanced academic and research expertise of higher education, we can create programmes that are relevant, responsive and aligned to workforce needs. Together, we can offer learners a seamless experience while giving employers confidence that the skills being developed are the skills they need.

Anne Campbell
Principal & Chief Executive at West College Scotland