This is the launch event for the £3 million Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund.

The aim of the 'Fast Track' Fund is to help employers in the Greater Manchester and Lancashire areas to address their specialist digital skills needs through short, innovative, bespoke training. Government will invest alongside industry to help employers improve their productivity by developing digital skills that are needed to recruit hard-to-fill digital roles.

The fund will be open for applications in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Lancashire LEP areas from 25 June 2019. Consortia of employers and training providers can bid for between £50,000 & £180,000 to run innovative digital training schemes linked to skills shortage vacancies.

The event will give you further information, in additon to the prospectus, and the opportunity to ask questions on the fund to support development of bids. It will also give you the opportunity to network with other interested parties with the aim of supporting early development of potential consortia. Agenda for the event is as follows:

• Welcome & Introductions

• Overview of programme requirements

• Networking Session

• How to apply

• Q&A session

• Timelines and next steps

As this project is a joint venture with Lancashire LEP and the Department for Digital, Culture & Sport (DCMS), a second launch event will take place in Lancashire in the afternoon of 25th June. If you would like to attend this event please register here: https://www.lancashireskillshub.co.uk/ or email lancsskillshub@lancashirelep.co.uk