University up-skilling fund AY 2022-23

University up-skilling fund AY 2022-23

Purpose

1. I am writing to provide you with guidance on the Upskilling Fund for Academic Year (AY) 2022- 23. This funding should continue to develop the capacity of universities to offer short, flexible provision to allow people to upskill or reskill in strategically important curriculum areas to facilitate continued economic recovery and transformation.

Context

1. The Upskilling Fund was launched in July 2019 to provide shorter, more flexible provision to enable institutions to respond to the needs of learners and business.
2. Universities have responded at pace to develop new provision focused on meeting the needs of employers. Over the past two years much of this provision has been brought online by universities as they faced huge disruption to their operations through COVID-19, demonstrating commitment to meet the aims of the Fund and outcomes for learners.
3. This guidance for AY 2022-23, the fourth year of the Fund, continues to be set within the context of the pandemic, our exit from the European Union (EU), and the need to focus efforts on recovering from the health and economic impact. We recognise that different parts of Scotland and particular sectors of the economy will face their own specific challenges and that particular groups have been impacted more significantly than others. This updated guidance aims to provide universities with sufficient national-level direction, coupled with the flexibility to respond to the needs of learners and business and to align provision and activity to the recovery mission.

Policy Drivers

1. SFC’s Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability recognises that learning throughout life will become increasingly important and the pace of change in the jobs market will require people to undertake more frequent reskilling and upskilling. The Upskilling Fund plays a key role in providing skills interventions that can be flexed to address the very significant employability and skills needs we know employers and employees will have over the coming period.
2. Our Review also commits SFC to review the Upskilling Fund in AY 2022-23 to assess how it has supported the recovery mission and future skills needs. We will continue to work with the Upskilling Strategic Reference Group on the future direction of the Upskilling Fund.
3. The National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) published in March 2022 sets out a vision for 2032 for Scotland to be a thriving, inclusive and entrepreneurial country delivering a just transition to a net zero, nature positive, wellbeing economy. This will mean that Scotland is on course to become a net zero economy by 2045 founded on an economic model in which the benefits are shared more equitably, and we have significantly reduced poverty in general and in particular, child poverty.
4. Therefore, for AY 2022-23 SFC would like the sector to continue to develop a range of provision and delivery models, whilst also taking the opportunity of collaborating where possible to minimise duplication by geography, delivery method and curriculum area, subject to the following broad parameters:
   • Upskilling provision should be shorter in duration – usually significantly shorter – than a full AY. The rationale for this is that more traditional models of provision over a longer period already exist and that for some potential students the upskilling need might be an extremely specific one.
   • Upskilling provision should be flexible in terms of start dates, so that a potential student does not have to wait a full year to access it. This should include delivery over the summer/autumn period where there is demand. To enable this SFC will provide flexibility on the use of funding between AYs and details of this planned activity should be included in monitoring and reporting throughout the year and at year end reports.
   • Universities must be able to demonstrate that all provision clearly addresses and is strategically aligned to key sectors such as Engineering; Computing, Digital; Education and Care, providing a more rapid response to industry needs in specific areas such as Software Development, Data Skills, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Science and Care. The priorities for Scotland’s economy are outlined in Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
5. Universities must be able to demonstrate that all provision clearly addresses and is strategically aligned to key sectors such as Engineering; Computing, Digital; Education and Care, providing a more rapid response to industry needs in specific areas such as Software Development, Data Skills, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Science and Care. The priorities for Scotland’s economy are outlined in Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.