AYRSHIRE College has been confirmed as the first official training partner of the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund (ASIF) which will provide bespoke courses for people across the region.
The £3.5 million Fund is an Ayrshire Growth Deal project and was launched at the end of October to provide a skills fund for Ayrshire’s businesses and residents.
It is aimed at helping employers grow and develop their employees and increase skills for Ayrshire residents, linking them to growth sectors and employment opportunities. The fund will support skills development in Engineering, Digital, Clean Growth and the Visitor Economy, where funding currently does not exist. And it has now been confirmed that Ayrshire College – who presented their proposal to the Ayrshire Skills Investment Sub Committee in November – will provide courses for the projects. They will deliver courses in all four of the sectors targeted: Engineering, Digital,Clean Growthand the Visitor Economy.
Various start dates will be available over the next three years. The courses will provide people with pathways to employment and supply employers with
new talent to join their workforce. The courses are expected to begin in January 2024 and will be delivered at each of their Ayrshire Campuses, in
Kilwinning, Ayr and Kilmarnock.
North Ayrshire Leader Marie Burns, Chair of the Ayrshire Economic Joint Committee, said: “We are delighted that Ayrshire College has provided a range of courses which are aligned to the priorities of the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund.
“The courses will look to enhance the skills of people, who have skills which can be developed to transfer to engineering occupations, where there are a significant number of job opportunities available across the region. The digital sector will help unemployed and low paid workers gain the skills to improve their own prospects enhancing skills required for the future. The Clean Growth training is innovative and will benefit future priorities for the transition to net zero.
“The Ayrshire Regional Economic Strategy was launched earlier this year – the first of its kind which will see the three Councils working with local partners to deliver significant and long-lasting economic renewal across our region.
“We are seeing a real concerted effort to transform the Ayrshire economy and it’s great that so many partners are involved.
“This is just the start of the Fund, and we look forward to adding more opportunities as the fund develops further.”
Ayrshire College Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Angela Cox said,
“We are delighted to be confirmed as the first official training partner of the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund. As the main skills provider in the region, the College is leading the development of a coherent approach with industry and stakeholders to ensure that employers have the skilled workforce required in areas of priority
(Engineering, Clean Growth, Visitor Economy and Digital). ASIF has been set up to try and improve the underperforming Ayrshire economy by targeting groups and sectors which can be positively impacted, in response to work of the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute highlighting regional inequality in Scotland.
The Fund has been established to target priority groups – young people, females, people with long term health conditions and people in low paid employment to help them gain new skills and qualifications in existing and emerging growth sectors.
ASIF opportunities at Ayrshire College are only open to people living in Ayrshire, who are unemployed and looking for a great opportunity to get back to work.
To find out more email Ayrshire College Employers can also apply to the ASIF fund, https://www.ayrshiregrowthdeal.co.uk/skillsfund/ , to help address skill gaps in their workforce. A maximum of £3000 per person can be requested, please contact fairwork@north-ayrshire.gov.uk for more information on the eligibility criteria