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
Salmond government, elected 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==