Evaluation of the First Year of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund Final Report for the Scottish Government

This document describes an evaluation of the first year of Scotland's Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), which aims to support workforce development among levy-paying employers by addressing skills gaps, increasing productivity, and enhancing college-industry engagement. The evaluation employed consultations, surveys, and case studies to assess the program's effectiveness. Results show that the FWDF is well-received and has started to address skills gaps, but faces challenges in employer engagement, awareness, and data reporting consistency. Employers report satisfaction with the training and its alignment with their needs, but improvements are needed in communication, data collection, and management. Recommendations include clearer guidelines, better promotion, and considering expanding access to SMEs. The FWDF is seen as valuable, with a majority of employers recognizing its benefits and expressing a likelihood to recommend it, despite noting areas for improvement such as funding flexibility and marketing. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: The Scottish Government (The Scottish Government)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Other
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: July 2018

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes