We can assist unemployed people to undertake short training courses which will help them to gain employment. Normally we will ask applicants to provide evidence of their likelihood of obtaining a job after the training. We can provide grants of up to 50% of costs.
Small businesses, or self-employed people, may also be eligible for assistance where training will help them to add new skills to the business, or become more efficient.
If you require training to start up a new business, this may also be grant assisted.
Below are two examples of self-employed people in Orkney who benefited from skills grants.
Elaine Langford, Westray
Elaine works from home in Westray providing a computer programming service to an English University. She has always had an interest in writing and decided to explore a career with a writing base. She looked at various options including short stories, poetry, technical writing, journalism and proofreading. She approached OE for assistance towards a proofreading course and we were pleased to be able to help. A short course in Edinburgh has now helped her to gain confidence in her writing and acted as a taster to look at further proofreading courses to provide a wider range of services to her clients.
Megan Webster-Gaertner, Longhope
Megan has been a trained shiatsu practitioner since 1988 and has practised shiatsu in Orkney and Shetland since 1990. Her services were in demand as a shiatsu teacher however, and as she had no teacher training qualification, she approached OE to see if we could help. She identified a course in Yorkshire which would fulfil the teacher training requirements of the Shiatsu Society (UK) and we were able to assist with the course costs and the associated travel and accommodation costs. She is now able to teach others to practitioner level in shiatsu - providing a service not previously available in Orkney.
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