Today during First Minister's Questions, Labour leader Iain Gray called on the First Minister to "make good on his guarantee" in the budget that if apprentices are made redundant they can still finish their training. Iain Gray said:

"During the Budget negotiations, as part of Labour's proposals I suggested an Apprenticeship Guarantee - a personal guarantee, to every apprentice, that if they are made redundant, they can still finish their training. The First Minister agreed.

"The economic situation is global and it is complicated. But the measure of how we respond will be the extent to which we protect the jobs and the future of people. I want the First Minister to make good his guarantee. The First Minister has 5,000 officials. He must give just one of them the job of matching these young apprentices to the opportunity of finishing their training."