This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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£28m European funding for skills
10/08/2004
New European funding worth £28 million to help boost skills and training across Scotland was announced today.
More than 200 projects will benefit from the latest awards under the Objective 3 funding programme.
Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Lewis Macdonald said:
"Today's awards will help boost skills and training levels across Scotland - this will help play a crucial role in our top priority of growing the economy.
"As well as helping increase skills levels in the economy, the awards will also allow more people to fully participate in their communities, helping promote social inclusion across Scotland.
"One of the projects receiving further support in this latest round will receive the 2000th award under the Objective 3 programme. Tourist Board Training Ltd is carrying out important work here at Culzean Castle and across Scotland to improve the quality of customer service in Scotland's tourism industry. It is an excellent example of how today's successful projects can contribute to growing important sectors of Scotland's economy."
The grants were announced today by the Deputy Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Minister during a visit to Culzean Castle, where he met the Ayrshire-based Tourist Board Training Ltd project. Tourist Board Training will receive the 2000th award under the programme.
The project has been awarded £250,000 to provide quality customer service training to 620 tourism industry employees across Scotland, including Ayrshire, and the Minister took the opportunity today to meet with Castle staff who have already completed their training.
Other successful projects include:
Glasgow College of Building and Printing has received £416,423 to provide 160 training places for unemployed people in the East and North of Glasgow to help them gain the skills for a career in the construction industry. The College has also received £99,426 to create an additional 40 training places in the business sector.
Aberdeen City Council's Minority Ethnic Childcare Project 2005 has been awarded £48,716 to help with the training and integration into work of 10 people of ethnic minority who speak English as a second language. Trainees will be trained to SVQ Level 2 in childcare.
Midlothian Council has received £89,927 to provide adults over 25 who suffer barriers to employment with work experience and vocational qualifications.
The Objective 3 Programme aims to provide support for work-related training, employability, entrepreneurial development and lifelong learning throughout Lowland Scotland.
The 5th round of awards, a £28 million package announced today, takes the total amount provided to date from the programme to almost £250 million.
A full list of all the successful projects can be viewed on the Objective 3 website www.objective3.org.
Further details of the projects supported under the Objective 3 Programme can be viewed online or obtained from the Objective 3 Partnership offices in Glasgow Tel: 0141 582 0401.