Looming cuts at Fife College could mean the Kingdom misses out as the defence sector ramps up recruitment, veterans chief Alistair Carns told The Courier.
The UK Government minister visited the college after a parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the town’s war memorial.
He joined the King and Queen Consort before meeting veterans and others at Fife College’s Kirkcaldy campus.
Speaking to The Courier, he highlighted the role Fife could play as the government ramps up defence spending in response to instability around the globe.
The college delivers a number of courses which give students the skills to enter the defence sector, including cybersecurity and engineering.
But principal Jim Metcalfe has warned a real-terms cut in its budget next year will have a “significant” impact on students and staff.
Asked about how potential cuts, Mr Carns said: “If you take the defence industry that you have around here, whether it be Rosyth or Babcock or many of the other industries, you’ve got a huge employer that needs specific skills.
“So to cut skills anywhere in this area is undermining our employment strategy.
“I would argue that the SNP have had the biggest funding payout from central government and they need to make sure they prioritise the funding in the right place at the right time to support the broader government’s plans.
“Not investing in defence is undermining our ability to protect the very freedoms we enjoy.
“I think it’s very naive of any political party to undermine the very thing that keeps our freedom and allows us to say what we need to.”
Mr Carns told The Courier he was delighted to see so many locals gathering to mark the contribution of those who have served.
Crowds had lined the town centre gardens ahead of the event.
He added: “It’s fantastic. Everybody has pulled so many people together, it’s a fantastic thing to champion the armed forces.
“To stand around that war memorial, 1,500 names, and to see so many people, and indeed the King and Queen, is a huge privilege to the people of Kirkcaldy.”
Fife ‘losing out’
The Scottish Government said that no college has had funding reduced.
While Fife College’s budget has increased by 1.26%, this represents a real terms cut when inflation is taken into account.
Colleges minister Graeme Dey said: “We recognise the vital role that colleges play in our communities, which is why we have provided a 2.1% uplift in funding for the sector in this year’s budget.
“What is not helping colleges, however, is the UK Government’s increase to National Insurance contributions and its increasingly restrictive migration policies.”
Local MP Melanie Ward has said the area is “losing out” to Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have both had inflation-busting increases.
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