I am horrified by the news that is coming out of Manchester today. Like others, my thoughts are with all those who are affected and the wider Jewish community. Yom Kippur should be a time of peace and reflection. Instead, the community has been the victim of hate and violence. We must all stand against antisemitism and all forms of prejudice and hate.

This morning, a scathing Audit Scotland report laid bare the Scottish National Party’s failure to support our colleges and young people: a 20 per cent real-terms cut to colleges over the past five years, 30,000 fewer Scots getting college places, and a cash crisis that is putting jobs, institutions and college places at risk. When Scotland needs a new generation of skilled workers, why are apprenticeships and colleges of less value to the SNP than universities?

That is not the case. Last year, more than 35,000 people started a modern apprenticeship in Scotland. A record 39,000 individuals are now in training, including 20,000 who are aged 16 to 19—an increase of 2.8 per cent on the previous year. That is a consequence of the Government’s investment. Let me reiterate what that investment was, because there was a lot of noise when I stated it a little while ago. The Scottish Funding Council allocations provide a 2.6 per cent increase in teaching funding for 2025-26 and an increase of almost 5 per cent in capital maintenance funding to help colleges to invest in their estates. In addition to the investment that we are making in apprenticeships and in the college sector, the Scottish Government is investing in the skills of the future, which is exactly what the Government should do.

“Devastating”—that is how one student described the news that Forth Valley College’s Alloa campus faces closure. It seems that the First Minister would rather put his head in the sand and ignore Audit Scotland than confront the issues. Anne-Marie Harley, a lecturer at the college, said that the social benefits of what colleges do are not recognised by the SNP Government. Working-class kids are being let down by the SNP and by John Swinney—not for the first time. The future of Forth Valley College, which is home to thousands of students, is now at risk due to the financial crisis that has been caused by the SNP. Will John Swinney intervene to save the Alloa campus?

That subject has been uppermost in my mind after the representations that were made by my friend Keith Brown, the member for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane. Those issues are very much at the forefront of my mind. The education secretary is actively involved on my behalf and at my instruction in finding a way through the situation that will protect the future of the Alloa campus. For me, the Alloa campus is essential because it is located in an area of deprivation in our country and we must maximise access to learning. That is what my political agenda is about—ensuring that local communities that live in deprivation have access to learning facilities to enhance their prospects. That is what the Government is working to resolve today.

So why is the campus under threat? A 20 per cent real-terms cut was made by this SNP Government. The First Minister cannot dodge the record.

The SNP often speaks about tackling inequality but fails to deliver when it comes to educating our children. Some 60 per cent of young Scots do not go to university, and working-class kids are more likely to go to college. However, our colleges are in crisis. That is directly on John Swinney, a failed former education secretary who—let us not forget—shamefully downgraded the results of working-class kids during the pandemic. Now, his SNP Government refuses to fund a new welding centre on the Clyde, forcing Labour to intervene in order to secure those skilled jobs. Livelihoods and futures are being derailed by SNP incompetence. Colleges are facing cuts, courses are being scrapped and futures are being denied. Why does this snooty, elitist SNP Government refuse to recognise the value of Scotland’s colleges?

Members::

Oh!

Let us hear one another.

Where do I start on all of that? My goodness. I do not think that lecturing me, a state school boy, about elitism is a great look for Mr Sarwar. I am very proud of my state school education.

Let us take that question apart bit by bit. On tackling inequality, this is the only part of the United Kingdom where child poverty is going down. That is because of the leadership of my Government and because of my leadership as First Minister. Some 93 per cent of young people are going on to positive destinations from our schools. When it comes to big, lofty commitments, I stood beside Mr Sarwar, who told me that there would be hundreds of millions of pounds to save Grangemouth. Grangemouth got absolutely nothing, and it has now closed. Mr Sarwar should go home and think again.