Funding available to support projects that respond to local skills and innovation priorities in England.

As part of the Skills for Jobs white paper, the Strategic Development Fund (SDF) was piloted in 2021- 22 alongside the Local Skills Improvement Plan Trailblazers. The purpose was to test a new approach to reshaping the technical skills system to better support the needs of the local labour market and create a stronger and more efficient overall delivery infrastructure.

The SDF is now being made available to collaborations of further education (FE) providers across all areas of England. The SDF will provide capital and programme funding to support changes in local teaching and training facilities and provision, enabling FE providers to meet the needs of employers, support local innovation and economic growth, and develop a more efficient overall delivery infrastructure.

The purpose of the fund is to:

• Enable colleges and other FE providers to build their overall capacity to meet local skills priorities, and to drive more effective and efficient use of funds through a more coordinated FE offer
• Support the design, development and delivery of new skills provision, and the procurement of equipment and infrastructure, needed to support skills in those industries and sectors that are key to future jobs in each local area. In doing so this will support levelling up and those areas with the most pressing skills needs
• Support ongoing FE provider quality improvement through FE workforce training, developing sector-led approaches to peer-to-peer support, sharing good practice including two-way industry exchanges with FE providers
• Stimulate employer demand for and investment in skills leading to more sustainable provision, including by raising awareness of new technologies and driving the take-up and spread of innovation in local businesses, especially in SMEs.

The lead applicant must be one of the following types of institution:

• A General Further Education College
• An institution which has been designated as part of the Further Education sector
• FE colleges in their capacity as licensee of an Institute of Technology (IoT).

Other FE providers may be part of an application and are eligible to receive funding. This includes those FE colleges and other providers that were part of the SDF pilot.

£92 million grant funding is being made available through the Strategic Development Fund. This consists of:

• £50 million capital
• £42 million programme.

Each area may apply for up to £1.5m capital funding and £1.25m of programme.

Expressions of interest forms should be submitted by the 13 May 2022 (midday).

 

How To Apply

For more information, visit the GOV UK website.

Questions relating to an application must be submitted through Jaggaer.