Issue details

Delegated authority has been granted to the WECA Chief Executive to take decisions on the award of Digital Skills investment programme grants in consultation with the Chief Executives of the West of England unitary authorities.

As part of WECA’s Regional Recovery Plan, a £2 million investment was made in a Digital Skills investment programme, to design and commission a programme of digital skills support packages including:
a. ‘Basic digital skills and access’ – to build capacity to increase access and take-up, and support the most vulnerable groups (aligning with devolved Adult Education Budget).
b. ‘Medium to higher level digital skills’ – to build on skills interventions in existing projects (such as DETI and iSTART) and assets (such as the Institute of Technology and Institute of Coding) to create a multi-partner approach to delivering short courses, teaching core digital and professional skills to groups of unemployed.

Round one applications were submitted and assessed against eligibility / scoring criteria. The Business and Skills Directors of the West of England unitary authorities were consulted on the recommendations that emerged from this assessment process.

The Chief Executives of the West of England unitary authorities were consulted on the proposals and were in agreement with the decision.