College cuts are closing down opportunities for young Scots trying to turn their lives around, Johann Lamont has claimed.
The Scottish Labour leader visited Dundee’s Helm Training, where she was given a tour of the city centre site.
Helm supports young people to develop their employment and training opportunities but staff told Ms Lamont of issues faced due to a fall in the number of college places.
The Scottish Government said the politician’s “statement about access is simply not true”.
Figures released earlier in the year showed the number of college students fell to 238,805 in 2012/13 from 379,233 in 2007/8.
Ms Lamont said: “It just feels to me that you can get a youngster through, if they have had problems at school or whatever it might be, and they have ended up where with a bit of help they can get themselves to college.
“You get them to that place, but the college places have been cut.
“I think the challenge to the Scottish Government is to explain their spending priorities in those terms.
“These are young people who can contribute to the economy.
“They are going to be able to learn, they can be part of developing skills.
“We saw the young guys there learning to be mechanics, there was a boy who wants to work with animals in agriculture.
“These are young people who could contribute to the economy.
“The Scottish Government needs to explain why they think cuts to college places in the scale that has been identified is the correct choice because it does have consequences.
“The young people we are talking to are on a waiting list to get into college.
“It is not a question of their aptitude or abilities, but there are fewer places than there have been in the past.”
Ms Lamont praised the personal nature of the Helm’s work during her visit with city-based MSP Jenny Marra and Councillor Lesley Brennan.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Colleges are more focused than ever on giving young people the skills they need.
“The latest figures show almost 2,000 more students are taking recognised qualifications in colleges than in 2006/7. And, the number achieving HNCs and HNDs is up 36%.
“What’s more, this has been achieved while maintaining the Scottish Government’s commitment to keeping the total number of places at 116,000 full-time equivalents a commitment we have exceeded in every year since 2011.”