Data Skills for Edinburgh
& South East

Funding to help workers adapt to the demands of increasingly digitalised, automated and data-driven workplaces.

Applications are currently closed.

Colleges, universities and other training providers are invited to apply for up to £10,000 of funding from the Data Skills Credits small grants scheme to help deliver digital and data courses either in-person or online to learners in Edinburgh, Lothian, Fife & Scottish Borders.

To help improve equality and diversity in the tech sector, any resulting courses will be available free of charge for learners who earn less than £24,000 per year, are not already in training and belong to one of the following groups:

  • Women

  • People with a disability

  • People from a minority ethnic background

  • Neurodivergent individuals

 

What will we fund?

For a course to be eligible for funding it must meet the following selection criteria (expand for more information): 

  • The course must recruit participants who are living or working in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, Fife & Scottish Borders Council areas and who meet the criteria above. The course(s) can be open to others, but the cost of delivery to those learners should be covered from other sources. We are particularly interested in proposals that align with priority industry sectors for the Region, including: Healthcare, Artificial Intelligence, Agritech, Financial Services, Food & Drink, Transport, Culture, Housing, and Green Skills.

  • Providers can be colleges, universities or any other training organisation. We welcome partnership proposals, particularly from providers working with third sector organisations who can provide wrap around and follow on support for learners in our target groups; the lead partner must be a training provider.

    Providers must recruit a minimum number of learners onto each course based on the total amount of funding awarded up to a maximum of £500 per learner. Training programmes should be aligned with the criteria below.

  • The course can be delivered in person, fully online, or as blended learning. Timing should be flexible and suitable for people who are in work or are returning to work.

  • The course must introduce students to, or equip learners with, theoretical and practical skills for the application/understanding of data skills. The course must use data and technology to help people develop new skills. We are looking for providers who can offer training in key data skills and capabilities relevant to priority sectors including:

    Data literacy

    Data ethics and governance

    Data analytics

    Data visualisation

    Statistical software

    Coding

    AI and machine learning skills

    Data engineering

    Data systems and databases.

    Through our work and research with employers, we have created a Data Skills Framework, which identifies the following data skills gaps:

    Learning at Data Citizen level should introduce individuals to the fundamentals of data science, its key concepts and equip them with an ability to carry out basic tasks. For example, effective Data Management, Data Ethics, Data Protection.

    At Data Worker level, learners should be able to apply statistics, programming and analysis skills to datasets from their organisation to answer questions. There is potential for training contextualised with in specific sectors, looking at data analytics and management/governance in the context of, for instance, retail, marketing, tourism, financial services, or the third sector.

    At Data Professional level, employers have identified a need for communication skills for technical roles, as well as AI & Machine Learning and Data Engineering skills.

 

Funding process

1. Application - Online application filled in by provider.

2. Review - Applications are reviewed against criteria. If criteria met, application is approved and agreement issued.

3. Promotion - Course is promoted through provider networks, learners register for free.

4. Delivery - Provider delivers training and shares learner progress with The Data Lab (TDL).

5. Payment - TDL pays funding directly to training provider on completion of the course (T&Cs apply).

6. Evaluation - Monitoring/evaluation form completed by provider..

 

Funding

The fund will be a training grant award to successful applicants. The maximum grant is £10,000 per course for a minimum of 20 learners and the minimum is £5,000 for a minimum of 10 learners (training must be free at the point of access to those learners). The grant will be administered by The Data Lab (TDL) through The University of Edinburgh. Courses can be delivered multiple times (and therefore applicants can apply to deliver more than one course), but all courses must be completed by 31 March 2024.

 

Apply now