Question reference: S6W-05717
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 14 January 2022
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what long-term funding programmes have been put in place to increase the number, diversity and flexibility of low-carbon work-based learning opportunities for (a) school leavers, (b) graduates and (c) the existing workforce.
Answer
In December 2020 the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland published the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) setting out the actions required to ensure Scotland’s labour market is able to effectively support the transition to net zero. As a priority action identified in the CESAP, the first phase of the Green Jobs Workforce Academy administered by Skills Development Scotland, launched on the 23 August to help individuals of all ages identify and access relevant green jobs and training. The Academy will continue to provide training opportunities for green careers throughout 2022-23.
In addition to the work taking place through the CESAP, financial support has also been made available through the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) and the North East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund (NEERSF).
While both NTTF and NEERSF are short-term funding programmes, we offer long-term support through skills programmes including: the Individual Training Account (ITA) scheme, which provides people who are unemployed or in low paid work with the opportunity to access £200 towards training; and the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FDWF), which supports employers in delivering upskilling and retraining opportunities for their existing employees.