Free training programme launched for adults in Beverley to boost essential skills

Almost £2.5m of funding has been secured to provide free skills training for over 1,000 adults across Beverley and the wider area served by the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (YNYER LEP).  

The Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) programme has been developed to upskill employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-businesses across Beverley over the next two years and is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) - an EU established fund to help local areas stimulate economic development through skills and job creation.

SSW will provide fully funded qualifications and training courses, tailored to help meet individual businesses’ skills needs to help increase productivity and encourage growth.

The programme will focus on delivering skills training to support the LEP’s key priority sectors; Bioeconomy, Food Manufacturing, Construction, Engineering, Voluntary and Community, Visitor Economy and Health and Social Care.

The training will be delivered by Calderdale College in partnership with a range of specialist, regional training providers and includes leadership and management training, team working and vocational qualifications, technical skills, as well as employability and basic skills training including literacy and numeracy.

Helen Howland, Head of Skills Support for the Workforce programmes in York, East Riding and North Yorkshire, said: “This funding can make a real difference to the businesses and people who live and work across the region.

“There are significant skills shortages across the LEP’s priority sectors and the businesses that operate in them are nearly all small and micro in size. This new funding means we can work more closely with them to identify and deliver the training they need to help them grow, which in turn will have a substantial economic impact and opportunities for new jobs.”

The College has already had success in the region delivering a previous Skills Support for the Workforce programme, having provided training for over 1,300 businesses and helped 4,650 employees to gain new skills over the last two years. It is this success that’s led to Calderdale College securing the further multi-million-pound funding to deliver a new round of SSW in the region.

Annabel Jelley, Head of Business and Skills at the LEP, said: “We want a local workforce that is constantly developing new skills, which will help grow our area’s businesses so they can provide fulfilling careers for those who work here.

“For our employers to succeed they need motivated staff who have the right skills. This is where the Skills Support for the Workforce programme can help with high-quality training, tailored to the individual’s needs.”

For more information and to see if your business is eligible for fully-funded training please visit http://ssw.fundingunit.org.uk/areas/york-north-yorkshire-and-east-riding/.