Businesses have the opportunity to learn about free professional training available for their staff at an information event hosted by Edinburgh College later this month.

The College is hosting the event both online and in-person at its Sighthill Campus from 8.30am with the aim of showcasing training opportunities available to SMEs and large companies through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF). 

The information event, taking place on Thursday 24 February 2022, will see business delegates learn about the FWDF from Edinburgh College’s Business Development Advisors, as well as meeting expert lecturers who will discuss the range of subjects available to businesses and employees.

Attendees will also hear from Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about her experience of applying for fully funded training with Edinburgh College.

If delegates cannot attend in person, the College is streaming the presentations and interview taking place during the event via Microsoft Teams.

A link for the live stream and joining instructions will be available soon after registering for the event. Online delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions through a Q&A function within Teams.

The College encourages anyone who intends to attend the event in person to take a lateral flow COVID-19 test before they arrive.

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund, offered by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, facilitated by Scottish colleges, offers larger organisations and SMEs, across the private, public and third sectors, an opportunity to apply for fully funded training for their teams.
  
The funding provides SMEs with up to £5,000 of free training; and larger employers (those with an annual payroll bill of £3m+) with up to £15,000 of free training.
To register your attendance either in person or online, please book via the Edinburgh College website.

Please see the full event agenda below.

Time Activity
8.10am Network, coffee and morning roll. 
8.30am Introduction to the College, training opportunities and funding options.
8.50am Interview with Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about the client’s experience of accessing the fund through Edinburgh College.
9.05am A presentation from Edinburgh College and the Training Development team about professional training courses and management soft skills (CMI, CIPD, ILM, bespoke). 
9.15am A talk on ‘Adapting to new working conditions during the pandemic’ from John Chalmers – Learning and Development Manager at Business Stream.
9.35am Networking opportunity.
9.50am Round-up and close.