10 October 2017 
Michael Edwards,
In December 2016 the Scottish Government announced the introduction of a new Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF). Creation of the FWDF is a response to feedback received during the Scottish Government’s recent consultation on the introduction by the UK Government of the Apprenticeship Levy. In England, levy paying employers can access funds for apprenticeship training via their own digital account. However, in Scotland, there are currently no plans for a similar account and funding will instead be partly made available via the FWDF.
The FWDF is a £10m fund, and is additional to other types of apprenticeship support which all employers are eligible to access in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s aim in introducing the FWDF is to help employers train their existing workforce and address current skills gaps in their organisations. Further information has now been released by the Scottish Government, full details of which can be found here.
