Christina spoke in the debate on 28 January.

“Members may come to the issue from different angles, but we all have essentially the same purpose in mind: to upskill the Scottish workforce to enable people to play an active part in wealth creation—both private and social wealth—in Scotland; to be competitive in the employment market; to help to build social capital; and to create social mobility in our society. The path of sustainable economic development has not been easy to follow recently, with the chill winds of recession blowing from the south, but it is the central focus of the Scottish Government, and we have seen delivery on that since the election in 2007.

As Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop announced and delivered increased funding for the Scottish union learning fund only months into government… That increase in funding has been maintained, and the Government’s partnership in learning with the unions has continued to develop. People are learning while in work to improve themselves and their prospects, and thus improve the society in which they live. That is important to me. I should declare an interest: I was a training officer who supported people in work to gain qualifications. The unions do excellent work on that fund and the Government does excellent work in supporting it. Scotland’s Government’s support for the unions is providing learning opportunities to union members.”

Read the full debate here.