The Liberal Democrats have pledged to restore money cut from colleges to increase vocational courses for people seeking an alternative to classroom learning.
Leader Willie Rennie met volunteers at Gorgie City Farm, which runs projects to help adults with additional support needs, to outline plans to boost ties between industry, schools and colleges, and restore college funding cut by the current SNP Scottish Government.
Meanwhile, footage of Mr Rennie campaigning in front of a pair of amorous pigs at the Edinburgh farm has been shared hundreds of times on Twitter.
The BBC footage shows Mr Rennie unconsciously pointing to the pig pen and stating: “We like to organise our visits to send a message, in pictorial terms, exactly what we are asking for and I think this does it very well.”
Responding to the Tweet, Mr Rennie joked: “The British Board of Film Classification are now insisting they review all future visits before publication.”
The Lib Dems have pledged to restore college funding to 2010/11 levels in response to a Unison survey which found that 64% of staff think college services have declined and 90% agreed colleges were underfunded.
Mr Rennie said: “We know that formal education is not for everyone and we need to do more to ensure that everyone has the chance to learn in the way that works best for them.
“With 152,000 college course slashed on the SNP’s watch, we need to ensure that alternative paths to vocational training are available for people who learn better outside of a classroom environment.
“Our penny for education plan would invest £108 million in colleges and restore funding that has been cut to the bone by the SNP.
“That would help ensure that people can get on the course they need to gain new skills.
“People who work or parents who cannot study full time have been hit particularly hard by the loss of more flexible part-time places.
“This needs to change. SNP cuts and reforms have hammered morale in the further-education sector.”