In her amendment, Angela Constance supports the introduction of the curriculum for excellence as a means for pupils to maximise their educational attainment and condemns attempts to undermine the new exam system as watered down qualifications.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning says more needs to be done to reduce the attainment gap beyond the good work being done by the Scottish Attainment Challenge, the £100m Attainment Scotland Fund, the Raising Attainment for All programme and the Access to Education Fund.

Ms Baillie says Labour would introduce a new top rate of income tax of 50p to let those with the broadest shoulders pay a little more to help its £125m to address the attainment gap.

The Labour member for Dumbarton says working class kids have been most left behind by the SNP government.

Closing the attainment gap in education will have a long term benefit to our economy, says Ms Baillie.

The government's own figures show the reduction in performance at literacy and numeracy at every stage, says Ms Baillie.

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She says pupils from the most well off backgrounds are doing better than those from the poorest background, which must be addressed.

Ms Baillie says education is much more than a social policy it must be part of a long term economic policy.

The Labour MSP says the SNP record on educational attainment is a "national scandal".

Ms Baillie says this parliament must lead the way as a voice for fairness and social justice for the people of Scotland.

She says the Scottish government voted against Labour measures to improve the procurement bill and extend the living wage.

Use the powers you have now, says Ms Baillie to the Scottish government.

Ms Baillie welcomes the recent establishment of the Scottish Attainment Challenge and clarification from the first minister that attainment advisers will indeed be placed in every local authority.

She says more must be done to address the attainment gap and says Scottish Labour would tackle this with a further £25 million per year programme of investment, totalling £125 million over a five-year parliamentary session, including doubling the number of teaching assistants and 10 new literacy teachers in each of the associated primary schools of the 20 high schools facing the greatest challenges in addition to the Scottish Government's plans.

This would be paid for through a 50p top rate of tax says Ms Baillie and she calls on the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser in the Scottish government to undertake a distributional impact assessment of the attainment gap in Scotland's schools, and believes that education is both key to addressing the scandal of inequality in Scottish society and a crucial investment in the future of Scotland's economy.

The Labour MSP says standards in literacy and numeracy in Scottish schools have fallen since 2012, with 75% of S2 pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds not having the numeracy skills that they should.

Ms Baillie says spending on education and training fell in Scotland between 2009-10 and 2013-14 whereas it rose across the rest of the UK.

She is also concerned the subsequent fall in both funding and students in Scotland's colleges and she says that a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects is required from the Scottish Government.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie leads a debate on the future of Scotland's economy and the education attainment gap.

In her motion, the Labour MSP says that tackling Scotland's attainment gap is crucial to future economic performance, in recognition of OECD research demonstrating that inequality has caused a cumulated loss in GDP of 8.5% over 25 years.

Ms Baillie is concerned by new analysis by Dr Jim Scott of the University of Edinburgh showing that the number of candidates gaining levels 3 to 5 qualifications in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) dropped by 20% between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Annabel Ewing says the government will set improvement targets for addressing gender imbalance.

The minister acknowledges that more work is yet to be done to help more women into work in the renewables sector.

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SNP MSP Rob Gibson asks the Scottish government how it is encouraging more women to take up engineering roles in the renewable energy sector.

Labour MSP Neil Bibby asks the Scottish government what action it is taking to meet skills needs in West Scotland.

Youth and Women's Employment Minister Annabel Ewing says many veterans need additional help to gain access to civilian employment and that Community Jobs Scotland and the youth employment programme fit this brief.

The Learning Partnership piloted with GCU, three FE colleges and the armed forces is another example of good practice which helps veterans into work.

The minister says Veterans Minister Keith Brown will also have a view on this area.

SNP MSP Roderick Campbell asks the Scottish government how it can assist former members of the armed services in training for a new career.

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Labour MSP Jayne Baxter asks the Scottish government what action it is taking to identify the skills that will be needed by the future workforce.

Fair Work, Skills and Training Secretary Angela Constance says it is a concern if Access to Work is going to be cut by the DWP.

SNP MSP Graeme Dey asks the Scottish government what its position is on the Department for Work and Pensions report, Equality analysis for the future of Access to Work.

Annabel Ewing says the modern apprenticeship programmes and the developing young workforce programme are among the schemes that are helping young people in the East Lothian Council area into employment.

Labour MSP Iain Gray asks the Scottish government what support it will provide for East Lothian Council to increase employment opportunities for young people.