Fair work fund delivery statistics: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many individuals have benefitted from the North East Recovery and Skills Fund in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

2. How much money has been provided for the Young Person’s Guarantee in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information for the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

3. How many women have been supported back to work as a result of the Scottish Government’s £2 million investment announced in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

4. How many women the Scottish Government have supported to develop pioneering business ideas in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

Response

The answers to each of your questions are below.

1. How many individuals have benefitted from the North East Recovery and Skills Fund in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

As part of the 2021/22 Scottish Budget, delivery of the North East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund (NEERSF) commenced in financial year 2021/22, so there were no individuals supported in financial year 2020/21.

Data from the NEERSF partnership indicates that in financial year 2021/22, 2,233 individuals and 464 businesses were supported. Data is provided bi-monthly by the partners. The most recently received report, to the end of May 2022, indicates that in financial year 2022/23 a further 702 individuals and 321 businesses have been supported, making a total to date of 2935 individuals and 785 businesses. Delivery continues and a report including final figures will be published later in this financial year.

2. How much money has been provided for the Young Person’s Guarantee in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information for the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

In the financial years outlined below, the Scottish Government has provided funding to support the Young Person’s Guarantee of up to:

• 2020-21 - £60 million;
• 2021-22 - £70 million; and
• 2022-23 - £45 million.

3. How many women have been supported back to work as a result of the Scottish Government’s £2 million investment announced in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2020-21, 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

Through the Women Returners Programme women are able to access a range of supports to help begin their transition back to the workplace in a manner and time that best suits each individual. Supports include access to peer support, a variety of skills sessions such as ‘managing menopause’, employability skills, digital skills and on ‘Resilience and Change’ and opening them up to networking opportunities and work experience. Expected final spend across the three financial years 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 will be around £2.8m.

An initial Programme commenced in late 2020 to offer immediate support to women during the pandemic. Within the three month period of delivery in financial year 2020/21 support was provided to over 763 women including through women returner related programmes funded through the Workplace Equality Fund.

In 2021/ 22 and in 2022/23 the programme has been managed by Skills Development Scotland. 501 women were supported to participate in the programme in 2021/22 and to date 162 have participated in the programme in 2022/23. Further information may be available from Skills Development Scotland as per Section 17 of FOISA. They can be contacted at FOI@sds.co.uk.

4. How many women the Scottish Government have supported to develop pioneering business ideas in 2021 and so far in 2022? Please also provide this information by the financial years of 2021-22 and so far in 2022-23?

Under both the Women’s Enterprise framework key themes and the priority areas of action identified by Women’s Enterprise Action Group, we have supported partner organisations to deliver programmes that support women in enterprise.

Over the course of this Parliament we will build on these existing programmes, identifying and supporting additional measures to unlock the full potential of Scotland’s female entrepreneurs within a new framework for support informed by the Stewart Review (commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy and Chaired by experienced entrepreneur Ana Stewart) and aligned with the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Women in Enterprise funding for 2022/23 budget has not yet been finalised.

In financial year 2021/22, we provided funding for a range of programmes supporting women in enterprise including the following.

• £115,000 for Investing Women’s AccelerateHER programme. This supported 300 female founders with investment potential to grow their businesses.
• £58,100 to Business Women Scotland for their BWS Roadshows and programme for growth as well as support for the 2019 Awards ceremony. 25 early scale businesses were directly supported the pilot Programme for Growth programme and over 200 through BWS roadshows.
• £75,000 to support Women’s Enterprise Scotland to continue to deliver the Ambassadors initiative providing role model support for female entrepreneurs across Scotland. Additional Ecosystem Funding was granted to support women in tech focussed projects.
• £43,466 for Women’s Enterprise Scotland to create and nurture a tech-active and tech-aware women’s business community.
• £50,000 to Goddess Gaia Ventures with to deliver a two-day FemTech Conference in Scotland.
• £38,350 to Female Founder Squad to support their aim of helping women tackle the challenges of the tech industry and enable them to grow and scale their start-ups.
• £34,350 to Mint Ventures to educate more women to become angel investors through a series of events using gender-specific learning techniques to build confidence. Funding has also been made through wider business support programmes to support enterprise opportunities for all.

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