MAKING FUNDING FOR SKILLS EASIER TO REACH
Ebrahim Dockrat is the LSC'sESF contracts director
The Skills Fund is a regional project which has the potential to bring £10 million to the region - and the LSC in Yorkshire and the Humber has been at the forefront of developing this innovative fund, which embraces a demand-led approach to delivering skills for both employers and employees. The LSC is a partner in the Steering Group working to make European Social Fund (ESF) Objective 2 and 3 co-financed monies available within Yorkshire and the Humber, excluding South Yorkshire.
Proposals and applications for funding are rolling in to the Skills Fund administration centre at Calderdale College Halifax. A wide range of providers have been quick off the mark to ensure that demand is met through a range of innovative potential projects.
Ebrahim Dockrat, ESF contracts director for the LSC in Yorkshire and the Humber and a member of the Skills Fund Board, comments: “The LSC is delighted to be the funding organisation for the Skills Fund initiative. The Fund will support training programmes that are not fundable through any other mainstream mechanism. It offers real opportunities for providers to tackle those unfunded skills gaps that they know exist within small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and amongst difficult to reach groups.
"We, along with the rest of the Steering Group partners are hoping the Skills Fund will reach the parts of the region that other funding can't reach."
The Skills Fund Steering Group has appointed six managers who are located around the region. Each of these managers is working directly with training providers, SMEs and other interested stakeholders to ensure that the best possible levels of information are available. The Money within the Skills Fund can be used to reach companies that have staff training needs that are unmet through Train to Gain, groups and individuals who require skill development to get them into work or to improve their prospects within the work environment. The Fund can be used to support training at all levels, modules of programmes and non-accredited programmes.
For further information on the Skills Fund, please call 01422 357 357 ext. 9170.