The New Flexible Workforce Development Fund
City of Glasgow College is delighted to announce the launch of the New Flexible Workforce Development Fund (New FWDF) in academic year 2026–27. New FWDF is backed by a £10 million Scottish Government investment aligned with the third Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan (Bringing Hope, Building Futures 2026–2031).
This fund specifically targets increasing earned incomes and reducing in-work poverty by upskilling parents, carers, and vulnerable demographic groups within the Scottish workforce. The fund will open in August 2026, with training to be delivered by December 2027.
The fund has been designed to support lower-income workers, parents and carers, and individuals facing barriers to progression, helping employers invest in their people while contributing to Scotland's ambition to tackle child poverty. Eligible individuals can apply for up to £5,000 of funded training.
The key focus of the fund is to target 6 priority family groups most at risk of poverty:
- Lone parent families.
- Families with a disabled adult or child.
- Larger families (three or more children).
- Minority ethnic families.
- Families with a child under one year old.
- Families with mothers under 25 years old.
This initiative also provides employers across Scotland with access to up to £15,000 of fully funded training to help address skills shortages, improve productivity and support workforce development.
What does the funding offer?
- Up to £15,000 of fully funded training per employer.
- Up to £5,000 per eligible employee.
- Flexible, work-friendly delivery.
- Accredited and certificated programmes.
- Open to employers of all sizes across the public, private and third sectors.
Training can be tailored to meet your organisation's specific skills needs and will be delivered by our experienced team at City of Glasgow College.
Please be aware that funding is limited, is allocated regionally and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage individuals and employers to register their interest early.
Which individuals are eligible?
To qualify, individual workers must have an annual income below £33,000 and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Parents or carers of a child aged under 18 living at home.
- Individuals aged under 24.
- Care-experienced or disabled individuals aged under 30.
Which employers are eligible?
The fund is universally accessible to all employers of any size across the public, private, and third (voluntary) sectors, provided they meet two conditions:
- The business/organisation must operate physically within Scotland.
- Employers must already implement Fair Work practices or formally commit to actively working towards them as a condition of the funding agreement.
If you would like to start an application to access the New FWDF through City of Glasgow College, please complete our Enquiry form.
If you would like to discuss your training or workforce development needs, please email our Business Development Team or call us 0141 375 5494.
Please be aware that the New FWDF is not the same as the FWDF that was previously launched in 2017.
