Tackling child poverty skills package - equality impact assessment
This impact assessment considers the potential impacts of a £22 million skills package, comprising RISE, TAF and a new FWDF. The package aims to help reduce child poverty by supporting people to gain skills, access education, and enter, sustain and progress in work.
Title of policy
Tackling Child Poverty Skills Package (Colleges RISE, Training Access Fund, new Flexible Workforce Development Fund)
Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy:
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 (“the Act”)[1] sets in statute ambitious targets to significantly reduce rates of child poverty in Scotland by 2030. The final tackling child poverty delivery plan under the Act – Bringing Hope, Building Futures: Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026-2031[2] – covers the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031 and focuses on four key themes: increasing earned incomes; reducing the costs of living; maximising incomes from social security; and supporting children and families to thrive.
Education and skills have the potential to support career progression and access to well-paid employment and, thus, help people increase their earned income. This is why, as part of the final tackling child poverty delivery plan and to help families increase their income from employment, we will deliver a £22 million skills support package that will support people to train and upskill, enabling them to access employment and progression opportunities and increase their earned income. The package will be delivered primarily by colleges in Scotland.
This skills support package consists of:
- The £10 million Colleges RISE (Raising Income through Skills and Education) Programme;
- The £2 million Training Access Fund (TAF); and
- the new £10 million Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF).
Directorate: Lifelong Learning and Skills / Jobs and Wellbeing Economy
Division: Learner Experience / Fair Work
Team: Learner Pathways / Skills and Workforce Development