Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund re-opens for local employers

Ayrshire economy continues to benefit as Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund opens for third round of funding

The third round of the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund (ASIF) is now open for local employers.

The £3.5million Ayrshire Growth Deal project is available to employers across Ayrshire.

It offers them a chance to apply for funding to help address skill gaps in their workforce.

The second round of funding saw 76 local people supported after applications from employers who requested staff training opportunities.

It means that the first two rounds of funding have seen 140 Ayrshire-based employees benefit from the training investment.

The successful businesses come from the priority industries of Engineering, Digital, Clean Growth and the Visitor Economy and the funding will allow them to put staff through training to give them new skills to help both them and the employer.

Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund is also reaching out to support unemployed residents in partnership with Ayrshire College.

The College has developed bespoke courses funded by ASIF, which are designed with employers to specifically meet the existing skills gaps and accelerate career opportunities.

Two engineering courses started in January 2024 focussing on aerospace and welding with candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of
experience successfully gaining places to upskill and reskill for the sector.
New courses are starting in at Ayrshire College with Aerospace starting very soon – aerospace on 26th August at the Ayr Campus and welding on 9th September at the Kilmarnock Campus. Please contact fairworkayrshire@north-ayrshire.gov.uk for details on how to apply.

The fund is now £1800 per person for training and development.

The third round is currently open closing on the 7 th of August 2024

North Ayrshire Councillor Marie Burns, Chair of the Ayrshire Economic Joint Committee, said: “We are delighted to see the demand in Ayrshire for sector
focussed training to grow capacity in the region. It is an excellent opportunity for the staff to gain new skills and Ayrshire talent to flourish.

“It is very encouraging to see ASIF supporting both employed and unemployed people which widens the opportunities for Ayrshire residents to benefit, including those from disadvantaged groups.

“It continues to show how exciting the Ayrshire Growth Deal is for the whole region. We are investing in the people and the infrastructure for long term
stability and economic growth.”

The Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund (ASIF) is available to employers across Ayrshire.

Employees being given the opportunity must live in Ayrshire, training can be accredited or delivered in house, providing the flexibility for employers to deliver the training or identify a trainer of their choice.

The Fund is an Ayrshire Growth Deal project and 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 – engineering – including aerospace, digital, visitor economy – including food and drink, and clean growth.