Funding to develop your workforce

Continuous professional development is a vital part of our sectors, delivering a range of benefits to both employers and employees.

By continuing to learn, employees will acquire new life long skills and qualifications. And as an employer, you’ll see your staff develop, helping your setting to flourish. There are a handful of schemes available to help you fund further vocational training for your workforce.

At Connect2Care, we recognise the importance of training and the financial constraints in our sectors. So we’re here to help you through the process of accessing available funding and have a range of fully-funded training options for you to choose from. Get in touch with us today to see how we can support you.

Adult Education Budget (AEB)

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) provides funding for the delivery of education and training for people aged 19 and over.

Funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), the AEB aims to engage adults and provide them with the skills and learning they need to progress into work or equip them for an apprenticeship or other learning. As an employer, you can use this funding to help your workforce achieve Functional Skills Level 1 or 2 in maths and English if they don’t already have them. The funding is also geared up to provide your team with useful skills which are unrelated to their current job role. This could involve providing your early years employees with an Award in the Prevention and Control of Infection, or your health and social care employees with a Certificate in Principles for Digital Skills in Employment.

At Connect2Care, we have a range of AEB fully-funded qualifications offering flexible learning to help your workforce engage in learning, build confidence, and enhance their wellbeing.

European Social Fund (ESF)

The European Social Fund (ESF) helps people get better jobs and ensures fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. It works by investing in Europe’s workers, young people and all those seeking a job.

Funding is available to develop the skills of young people and adults in 38 local enterprise partnership (LEP) areas across England. The aim is to make sure existing workforce skills are enhanced and young people can secure employment or progress to further education and training.

This funding will continue to be available until March 2023, regardless of the outcome of Britain leaving the European Union.

At Connect2Care, we work with a number of local enterprise partnerships to provide fully-funded training to employees in the adult care, healthcare and early years sectors to gain lifelong skills. Get in touch to find out what funding is available in your local area.

Workforce Development Fund for adult care and healthcare

The Workforce Development Fund enables businesses to claim back the cost of an employee undertaking any health and social care qualifications, programmes, or digital learning.

Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and facilitated by Skills for Care, employers are able to recoup the cost of employee salaries whilst training, the cost of an apprenticeship, fees incurred by coaching and mentoring, venue hire, and wage replacement costs.

Connect2Care are a Skills for Care Centre of Excellence and have a lot of experience of the Workforce Development Fund. Get in touch today to learn how we can support you to access these funds.

Advanced Learner Loans

If you’re a learner aged 19 or over, you may well be entitled to apply for a loan scheme that has been introduced by the government to help people pay for their further learning.

The Advanced Learner Loan is simple to apply for, there’s no credit check needed, and it isn’t dependent upon your household income. The loan helps those who are not eligible for government-funded training and need to self-fund the cost of their course.

Learn more about Advanced Learner Loans with our simple guide.