The Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education is a Junior ministerial post in the Education Department of the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attendScotland Act (1998), Only those appointed under Section 47 of the Scotland Act "attend" Cabinet. Junior ministers are appointed under Section 49 and may be "present". the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority government and the Minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister has specific responsibility for further education and colleges, higher education and universities, science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics, student funding, youth work, and widening access to education.
The post is one of two reporting to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, alongside the Minister for Children and Young People.
History The responsibilities of the junior ministerial reporting to the Education Secretary have changed considerably over time. The post was originally focused on schools: from 1999 to 2000, responsibility for schools rested with the Minister for Children and Education, which became the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs in the McLeish Government of 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2007, the schools portfolio rested with the Minister for Education and Young People. The skills brief also rested with the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning between 1999 and 2007.
The First Salmond government, formed following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, created the junior post of the Minister for Schools and Skills who assisted the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, in the Scottish Executive Education Department. This was then retitled on 7 December 2011 following the creation of the Minister for Youth Employment post which took over the responsibility for skills and training. A further change occurred in May 2016, following Nicola Sturgeon's reshuffle. The post was rebranded as Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.
The post was vacant for a period over as the summer of 2018, as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's original choice, Gillian Martin, was revealed to have posted comments of a transphobic nature in a blog in 2007. Ms Martin's name was omitted from the list of appointments to be approved by Parliament on 28 June 2018 following a reshuffle. Richard Lochhead was later appointed to the role. Following the formation of the Third Sturgeon government, the post was once more retitled to Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training. In March 2023, Humza Yousaf appointed Graeme Dey to take over the post of Minister for Higher and Further Education where he returned to government after having resigned on health grounds during the Third Sturgeon Government in January 2022.
Minister Minister for Schools and Skills NamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePartyFirst Minister Maureen Watt17 May 200710 February 2009Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Keith Brown12 February 200918 January 2010 Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning Keith Brown18 January 201012 December 2010Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Angela Constance12 December 201020 May 2011 Minister for Learning and Skills Alasdair Allan20 May 20117 December 2011Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair Allan7 December 201118 May 2016Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond20 November 201418 May 2016Nicola Sturgeon Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Shirley-Anne Somerville18 May 201627 June 2018Scottish National PartyNicola Sturgeon Richard Lochhead 4 September 201820 May 2021Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn20 May 202129 March 2023Scottish National PartyNicola SturgeonMinister for Higher Education and Further Education Graeme Dey29 March 202321 September 2025Scottish National PartyHumza Yousaf Ben Macpherson 21 September 202520 May 2026John SwinneyMinister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education Ben Macpherson20 May 202624 August 2026Scottish National PartyJohn Swinney Alyn Smith8 September 2026Incumbent
See also Scottish Parliament Scottish Government
References
External links Cabinet and Ministers on Scottish Government website Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education on Scottish Government website