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Gov Owed
Open nowTraining & skillsVerified 6 Nov 2026

Skills Focus Programme

Department for the Economy NI, delivered by the six Northern Ireland further education colleges

Check if you qualifyFree to check · no sign-up · full report £19.95

Worth

No set amount

Part-funded support

Deadline

Rolling - no fixed deadline

Type of funding

Part-funded support

Where

Northern Ireland

What it is

Subsidised staff training, not a cash grant: the Department for the Economy pays 90% of the cost of college courses leading to level 2 or higher qualifications for your existing staff, and you pay 10%. For NI businesses with fewer than 250 employees; you arrange it with your local further education college.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 on economy-ni.gov.uk and nibusinessinfo.co.uk: runs 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 under FE Circular 02/26. DfE funds 90% of course delivery costs; the employer pays 10%. NI businesses with fewer than 250 employees; training must be level 2 or above and cannot be statutory or compliance training. Arranged through one of the six NI further education colleges.

Official source

Who can apply

A summary of the main rules, not the full list. Department for the Economy NI, delivered by the six Northern Ireland further education colleges decides who is eligible, so read their guidance before you apply. The free scan checks these against your own business.

  • Business based in Northern Ireland
  • You're training your staff
  • Fewer than 250 employees
Read the full rules at the official source

How to apply, in brief

The business contacts its local further education college (Belfast Met, Northern Regional, North West Regional, South Eastern Regional, Southern Regional or South West College), which runs the paperwork and delivery.

  1. 1Pick your local further education college
  2. 2Meet the college and agree the skills need
  3. 3Agree a course at level 2 or above
  4. 4Sign the declarations and pay your 10%

The full guide, with what to do at each step, the official link for it and a draft to work from, is part of the £19.95 report.

Common questions

Is Skills Focus Programme open for applications?
Yes. It is open for applications, with no fixed deadline.
How much is Skills Focus Programme worth?
There is no single published figure: what you get depends on your project and the funder's assessment. It is a part-funded support.
Who runs Skills Focus Programme, and where is it available?
Department for the Economy NI, delivered by the six Northern Ireland further education colleges runs it. It is available in Northern Ireland.
How do I apply for Skills Focus Programme?
The business contacts its local further education college (Belfast Met, Northern Regional, North West Regional, South Eastern Regional, Southern Regional or South West College), which runs the paperwork and delivery.

Does your business qualify?

Eligibility rules are where schemes get fiddly. Gov Owed checks your business against Skills Focus Programme — and every other UK scheme we track — in about two minutes, free. The £19.95 report then explains exactly why you qualify, drafts your answers and walks you through the real application step by step.

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Information, not financial advice; eligibility is decided by the funder. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Schemes change — confirm details on the official page before applying.