£7.5 to support Welsh employees to upskill

The Welsh government is to increase the funding for the Flexible Skills Programme from £1.3 million a year to over £7.5 million, with support available for employees to access upskilling or re-skilling training courses.

This is in light of the increasing demand from Welsh employers who want to support the development of their employees skills as industries and technologies advance. There will be a particular focus on supporting key sectors and needed skills such as: engineering and manufacturing; digital/cyber; green skills; and leadership and management.

Employers can apply for the grant, with the Welsh government paying 50 per cent of business training costs up to £50,000 each year.

The expanded scheme was launched this week at IQ Endoscopes (IQE), a medical device startup that has benefited from the funding.

IQE is about to place its first endoscope device on the market, thanks to the Flexible Skills Programme which has enabled it to support 170 different technical or leadership and management training opportunities for its staff over the past two years.

Skills minister Jack Sergeant said: “Having supported over 8,000 training interventions in the last two years, I am excited about the impact a greatly expanded Flexible Skills Programme could have in the future.

“The programme’s success is down to our ambitious Welsh businesses investing in themselves to upskill their workforce. We are determined to do all we can to support their ambition and develop the skills needed for future success.

“As we prepare to host a major international investment summit in Wales later this year, the expanded scheme also strengthened our offer for companies looking to invest here.”