Skills Innovation Fund

The Skills Innovation Fund is an allocation from Mayoral Investment Funding to support skills development in the York and North Yorkshire region. The programme aims to innovate and build, or strengthen capacity and place based collaborative approaches.

The first round was launched in February 2025. A total of £2,220,386 was allocated during this phase and those beneficiaries are delivering projects.

Phase Two of the fund was launched in December 2025 to allocate the remaining funding of £200,900 to independent training providers with an established base in York and North Yorkshire. This phase is focussed on building and strengthening capacity in independent training providers to enable them to innovate and change delivery to best meet the needs of employers and learners.

Key Outcomes

We would like to achieve the following key outcomes through this funding:

• Increased numbers of new tutors trained in industry related skills
• Increased numbers of adult learners engaged in training in priority sectors focussing on disengaged learners and those who need upskilling and reskilling
• Improved teaching facilities
• New flexible courses developed (bitesize/modular/outreach)
• Enhanced capacity and collaboration in the York and North Yorkshire skills provider base
• A strong network of industry relevant training facilities and tutors across York and North Yorkshire, responsive to the needs of learners and businesses
•  

Phase One Programmes 

Three Skills Innovation Fund programmes were announced in May 2025.  These will support more than 1,000 learners and tutors.

• A partnership of all the further education colleges delivering in York and North Yorkshire, including Askham Bryan College, Craven College, Harrogate College, Selby College, Darlington College, Scarborough TEC and York College, and the adult learning services in North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council will work together to ensure that people and businesses across the whole area benefit from this funding.
  
  The programme will focus on skills supporting digital and low carbon jobs, introducing new courses for learners, upskilling tutors and investing in new equipment and infrastructure. Work will also help remove barriers to learning, particularly for rural communities and vulnerable groups. They are aiming to support 420 learners and 150 tutors, delivering 15 courses, and make improvements to seven teaching facilities.
  
  
• Not-for-profit organisation Better Connect, leading a programme delivered by more than 30 organisations. Their work will focus on learners who are disengaged from education. Their approach weaves numeracy, literacy, digital and independent living skills into creative activities that aim to inspire lifelong learning. The programme aims to develop and deliver 50 courses, training 120 disengaged learners in priority sectors.
   
• University of York and York Creatives. A programme called Extending XR which seeks to provide creative technology skills training across the region for learners and tutors and develop a forum to strengthen local ties in the region’s creative sector. The programme aims to support 338 learners and 20 tutors, delivering at least 20 courses.

Phase Two Programmes

In June 2026, four schemes were announced, following six applications. Projects support independent training providers to build their capacity and capability to purchase equipment, provide training for staff and develop new courses in AI, 3D printing, electronics and plant machinery simulation.

They are:

• Enterprise CUBE CIC’s LX Foundry offers training, support, tech demonstrations and loans studio equipment to enhance training offers.
• HYEN and AI in Schools are building AI, electronics and 3D-Printing training capacity in North Yorkshire through investment in specialist equipment and staff training for future high-level skills provision.
• Plant and Safety Training have purchased a plant simulator to support and enhance plant operations training for new entrants and upskill existing operators in a controlled environment.
• Legacy Skills Group is focussing on upgrading registered qualifications digitally, through learning management systems, virtual classrooms, compliant assessment systems, data analytics, and employer integration—enabling scalable, fundable, technology-led training delivery nationwide.