Residents in north Fife will be able to access free digital skills courses as part of Tay Cities Region Deal

The deal, which brings public, private and voluntary organisations across Dundee, Perth, Angus and northern Fife, is now bringing the multi-million pound development programme from the Scottish Government within local reach.

It is part of the £20 million national Regional Skills and Employability Development Programme, and the Tay Cities Region Deal announced it will be working with The Data Lab to help local people upskill to keep up with the modern world.

“The project will help workers adapt to increasingly automated, digitalised, and data-driven workplaces,” the council explained.

It will aim to address the digital skills gap for businesses, while supporting diversity and preparing participants for the changing demands of workplaces.

Councillor Grant Laing, Chair of the Tay Cities Region Deal Joint Committee, said: “In our data driven world, the ability to analyse, interpret and tell stories using data is an essential skill relevant to every sector of our economy.

He continued: “The Digital Skills Project is one of the ways that we are working towards closing essential skills gaps to ensure quality jobs for local people, support diversity and drive a sustainable and regenerative economy.”

He added that the project is one way of “future proofing” the local economy.

Fife College will serve as one of five training providers spread across the Tay Cities Region, and courses will run from July to December 2023. Other providers include Dundee and Angus College, CodeClan, Code Division and Technology Coaching.

The courses on offer include training in coding, data analytics, data visualisation, machine learning and using data for service design.

Some courses are designed for specific groups, such as women returners, Ukrainian refugees and individuals working in social enterprises.

The council emphasised that the opportunity is open to all Tay Cities Region residents – including women, people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic background, and neurodivergent people. More information is available on The Data Lab’s Data Skills for Work website: here.