South Yorkshire Skills Bank
Skills Bank is a fund to help finance the training costs of South Yorkshire businesses
Skills Bank provides a grant towards the costs of local businesses training.
Skills Bank supports a vast array of training which is not already publicly funded
Skills Bank supports training that is delivered by any legitimately operating Skills Provider
Typically Skills Bank supports bespoke learning that does not lead to a qualification
Skills Bank provides a financial contribution towards the cost of upskilling businesses who are based and operating in South Yorkshire. If you are looking to develop or grow your business or looking at ways to be more efficient or resilient then Skills Bank can help.
Skills Bank operates quickly and flexibly with an ever-expanding range of training (see our recently funded training and our case studies) including bespoke and industry specific training.
All training identified must support business development, resilience or growth.
Skills Bank is an important mechanism to secure progress towards the overarching policy objectives of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, to keep people and businesses moving and help them grow, attracting investment to create a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire by 2040.
If you are not sure whether training can help your business or would like advice on the type of training you need, get in touch with the Growth Hub, or request a call back here
Skills Bank is part of South Yorkshire Growth Hub, a service which exists to help businesses find the best possible support to grow, whether that is investment in skills and training, access to finance options, support with innovation or exporting as well as helping new businesses to get off the ground.
The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is led by Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, and brings together the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
The Mayor, Mayoral Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership have a shared purpose to create a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire. To work together to unlock the potential of South Yorkshire people, businesses, places and ensure they prosper.
The SYMCA’s Strategic Econimic Plan provides the blueprint to transform the region, to keep people and businesses moving and to help them grow, delivering a public transport network and attracting investment to create a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire by 2040.
Skills Bank is a key programme to take forward the region’s ambitions and is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
Skills Bank is part of South Yorkshire Growth Hub, a service which exists to help businesses find the best possible support to develop, grow and become more resilient. The dedicated and specialist team of Skills Advisors can help you identify your current business challenges, and emerging opportunities and consider where upskilling you and/or your workforce can move you closer to achieving business development and growth. They will also be able to direct you towards other services and funding that may be available.
Skills Bank places the purchasing power for skills in your hands. Access to Skills Bank funding is via submission of an online application where you are required to outline your business development and/or growth plans, identify challenges, opportunities and indicate where upskilling your workforce will support the journey towards achieving business growth.
Once submitted your application will be managed by the same person who will raise any queries with you and provide regular updates. They will prepare your application for presentation at the weekly Appraisal Panel.
If your application is successful, you will receive a Skills Deal following which you may book and pay the full training cost.
You can then claim the Skills Bank contribution when training is complete.
See WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? tab for further information.
What kind of training does Skills Bank fund?
Employers can choose from a comprehensive list of Skills Bank training programmes. Have a look at the Training Categories section for a list of available training or you can apply for training that you have identified yourself.
Alternatively get in touch with one of the Skills Providers to see if they can design something that suits your needs.
If you have already spoken to a Skills Provider and have a Training Proposal you can upload this along with your Skills Bank application.
If you have already identified training that has been recommended to you or is specialist to your business sector, just include the details when you submit the application.
You might want to combine a selection of training programmes from different Skills Providers and this is fine, it’s your choice.
What is important is that you find training that meets your needs, all you need to do is tell us about the training when you complete the Skills Bank application.
If you aren’t sure whether training can help your business to grow or would like advice on the type of training you need, get in touch with the Growth Hub, or request a call back here.
Skills Bank contributes to the overall cost of training. The amount of funding an application might receive will reflect the strength of the business case for development, resilience and steps to growth and the contribution to the South Yorkshire economy.
The application and appraisal process is rooted in the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s themes of Stronger, Greener and Fairer and will focus on maximising the return for the South Yorkshire economy and generating inclusive growth.
The prompts within the application are intended to help you build your application.
The funding calculation uses pre-set metrics which directly link to business/inclusive growth captured in the application form, therefore it is important that the business case is clear and fully outlines how the proposed training is aligned to the actions being taken to adapt, or develop the business or put the business on a growth trajectory.
For your planning purposes it might be useful to consider a potential contribution from Skills Bank as; 45% Large Companies / 50% Micro, SME.
The more significant intervention rates will reflect applications where:
- The challenges and/or opportunities and actions being planned to address and/or maximise these are clearly explained and evidenced in your application.
- It is clear that training and skills are directly linked to the actions to maximise growth opportunities.
- The employer can evidence how they support Inclusive Growth by contributing to the South Yorkshire economy themes of Workplace Inclusion, Social Value, Local Communities, Supply Chain Development, Carbon Reduction, Raising Aspirations and are a Disability Confident Employer.
As part of Skills Bank’s response to emerging local economic challenges and developments and to help local business align to those evolving opportunities and challenges we may periodically introduce provision with favourable intervention rates.
A Skills Advisor is available to support you to complete and submit your Skills Bank Application, you can also use the chat function to ask any quick questions. Within your application please ensure you have identified the training the meets your needs and considered the business benefit expected.
Once submitted your application will be managed by the same person who will raise any queries with you and provide regular updates. They will prepare your application for presentation at the weekly Appraisal Panel.
The Skills Bank team will be on hand throughout the process to support the completion of electronic registration and outcomes.
Unsuccessful applications will receive immediate feedback and the option to be referred to a Skills Advisor.
The Outcomes Review is critical to provide real insight on the impact of training on Business Growth, provide an indication on the value of funding as potential contributor to the economy and may inform future investment in skills by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.