Nicola Sturgeon has taken the education brief off Angela Constance and handed it to the Deputy First Minister as part of her cabinet reshuffle.
Ms Sturgeon also promoted former transport minister and rising SNP star Derek Mackay to finance and constitution, a new role which resembles the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer.
The finance role, which was previously carried out under a single portfolio held by Mr Swinney, has been split with Mr Mackay taking finance and Keith Brown now in charge of economy and jobs.
Handing the education role to Mr Swinney, who remains as Deputy First Minister and is Ms Sturgeon’s most trusted member of the cabinet, backs up her claim she is putting young people and reducing inequalities at the heart of her new government.
A new post of environment and climate change has been created, which is filled by Roseanna Cunningham.
There is no change for Dundee East MSP Shona Robison, who remains health secretary, Michael Matheson, the justice secretary, and Fiona Hyslop, cultural and external affairs secretary.
Fergus Ewing gets a promotion to the cabinet with the new position of rural economy and connectivity.
Earlier, Richard Lochhead, the rural affairs secretary, announced he was stepping down from the role after overseeing the botched CAP payments system, and Alex Neil resigned as social justice secretary.
The latter is being taken up by Ms Constance, who was widely tipped to lose her education brief.
Her new role will include responsibility for welfare reform, which will see her play a key role over the new powers that are being transferred to Holyrood.
Humza Yousaf, the minister for Europe and International Relations, does not feature in the cabinet despite being hotly-tipped for promotion.
Ms Sturgeon is still to announce her junior ministers.
The SNP leader said: “The cabinet I have announced today will ensure our priorities of education and the economy are given fresh impetus; our public services are reformed and improved and we are able to respond to challenges such as climate change in the years to come.
“The new Scottish Government team has the right mixture of experience and fresh ideas and maintains the gender balance that I believe is important. It is the best team to take Scotland forward.”
Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, said: “The new cabinet is made up of the same old faces pushing the same old polices
“There is no evidence that the new Government will implement a programme that is anything but utterly timid.”
