Askham Bryan College to benefit from Mayor’s Skills Innovation Fund

Askham Bryan College is to benefit from The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith’s Skills Innovation Fund.

More than 1,000 learners and tutors are set to benefit from new programmes designed to tackle skills challenges in York and North Yorkshire with three region-wide schemes receiving investment.

The Skills Innovation Fund is a £2.4 million grant fund to support skills development in the York and North Yorkshire region over two years, ending in March 2027. Following a call for projects earlier this year, 40 applications were received by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Askham Bryan College collectively joins one of the three successful applications receiving a share of the funding, alongside a partnership of all further education colleges delivering in York and North Yorkshire.

The College is to address local skills gaps by sourcing new equipment to support local and national demand for engineering, advanced manufacturing, and digital automation skills. This includes equipment integrating Industry 4.0 technologies, such as robotics in welding, 3D design and printing, plasma machining and robotic welding.

Stacy Vipas, Assistant Principal said “This initiative directly responds to local employer needs by bridging traditional skills, including welding and fabrication, with high-tech, sustainable, and digitally enabled and automated practices. This is by reducing material waste, encouraging sustainable design, and supporting flexible modular learning, the Fab Lab will improve employability, enhance industry engagement, and ensure the continuous upskilling of both students and tutors.”