Following the Scottish Government’s publication of its draft budget on 19 December 2023, the Scottish Funding Council has advised colleges that there will be no funding for the FWDF in either academic year 2023/24 or 2024/25.
We understand that this news will be deeply disappointing, especially given the extremely positive impact of FWDF activity over the past 6 years in helping businesses address their skills gaps, improve productivity and recover from the impacts of the pandemic, Brexit and the continuing cost of living crisis. It will be doubly disappointing given the fact that HMRC continues to gather funding through the Apprenticeship Levy. While employers in Scotland will still be able to access Modern Apprenticeships through Skills Development Scotland, the cessation of the FWDF means there will no bespoke funding for their existing workforce.
We are engaging with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Funding Council and other stakeholders on an ongoing basis and will provide any updates here.
While this is certainly not the outcome we had hoped for, City of Glasgow College wants to emphasise our desire to continue to support the business training needs of all Scottish employers. If you would like to discuss your options with one of our team of experienced Business Development Officers, please contact businessdevelopment@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk