New money for workforce training

Businesses across all sectors and of all sizes can now apply for a share of up to £240 million of government money to create training programmes that address their skills needs.

The Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) has already committed around £90 million to projects ranging from helping young people into work by delivering pre-employment training, to extending apprenticeships and training to supply chains.

Applications are now open for the second round and will close on 28th March.

Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock, comments: “For British businesses to succeed and compete in the global race, they need a highly-skilled workforce that can meet the challenges of the future.

“With applications for round two now open, I would urge businesses – particularly small companies – to consider how the fund can help them grow, from creating new apprenticeship programmes to setting up specialist training academies.”

Total government investment in EOP for rounds one and two is £340 million.