Skills Development Scotland: risk reviews and Strategic Intervention application
Because of our work, Skills Development Scotland could assess the risks associated with ESF interventions and make a successful application to the Scottish Government in support of its apprenticeship programmes.
Skills Development Scotland is the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland to develop and apply their skills. For the programme period 2014-20, the Scottish Government had outlined approaches on European Social and Investment Fund interventions would be managed to make the best possible impact on its apprenticeship programmes for Scotland's young people. Lead Partners were appointed to run Strategic Interventions. These partners, of which SDS was one, led and took legal and financial responsibility for allocating funds for Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships supported by ESIF funding.
SDS asked Hall Aitken for three elements of support.
- to assess their strategic fit with core programmes, examine the implications for match funding, assess the resource implications, and review risks for the proposed ESF programme.
- to support SDS’s Strategic Intervention application to the Scottish Government.
- to assess the implications of managing the Challenge Fund.
Delivering three solutions.
- We undertook desk research and ran group sessions that reached a consensus on how the programmes should be managed and progressed. This outlined the actions to help SDS plan and deliver a successful ESF Apprenticeship Programme.
- We then helped to complete a Strategic Intervention application to the Scottish Government.
- Finally, we assessed the process and risks for SDS in managing the ESF Challenge Fund for voluntary sector applicants.
"Hall Aitken responded promptly and flexibly, within a tight timescale, to deliver an external and objective assessment of risk. They contributed to our successful SI application to the Scottish Government and then helped us clarify any potential risks in taking responsibility for the ESF challenge fund."