Rennie responds to “Victorian” Conservative plans to lower school leaving age

Responding to Russell Findlay’s proposal to lower the school leaving age to 14, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

"I'm all for increasing apprenticeships and expanding opportunities for young people but Russell Findlay seems like he is about six months away from sending kids back up chimneys.

"We need to get the Scottish economy growing after years of SNP neglect but I don't think this backward step is the answer.

"In the recent budget, Scottish Liberal Democrats secured additional funding for colleges so that they can deliver programmes focused on care and offshore wind. These new programmes will ensure we are delivering the skills our economy and public services need and creating a pipeline of skilled workers. That's the kind of innovative thinking that is needed, not Russell Findlay taking us back to the Victorian era."