FUNDING of up to £4 million has been made available for SMEs to upskill their workforce.

The Skills Support for the Workforce project offers fully-funded training to businesses in an effort to raise productivity and boost growth.

Helen Rice, Skills Support for the Workforce’s regional development manager, said: “There are around 795,200 people of working age living in Cheshire and Warrington, a region which offers particularly strong industry knowledge in engineering, energy and business services sectors.

“However, over the next ten years demand for skills in Cheshire and Warrington is forecast to rise significantly, driven by economic growth, the delivery of major projects and replacement demand.

“Now is the time to upskill staff but unfortunately for many SMEs, a lack of time and difficulties meeting the cost of training courses can prevent them from being able to do so.

“The free training on offer through the Skills Support for the Workforce project has been specifically designed to bridge the skills gap within the region and overcome the training barriers small businesses face.

“By encouraging employees to work towards these fully-funded, bespoke training courses and professional qualifications, SMEs can enjoy a range of benefits.”

For more information visit cheshirewarrington.fundingunit.org.uk or call 08456443753.