What is the Welsh Government Flexible Skills Programme?

What is the Welsh Government Flexible Skills Programme?

If you're based in Wales and you've been thinking about training your team, there's a good chance you can get 75% of the cost covered by the Welsh Government. The scheme that makes this possible is called the Flexible Skills Programme, and in my experience most of the businesses and charities it could help have never heard of it.

So here's a plain-language explanation of what it is, how it works, and whether it applies to you.

What is the Flexible Skills Programme?

The Flexible Skills Programme (FSP) is a Welsh Government initiative that part-funds workplace training for organisations based in Wales. It was designed to help small businesses and charities develop the skills their teams need to stay competitive - and artificial intelligence is one of the named eligible training areas.

The funding covers 75% of the cost of eligible training. Your organisation pays the remaining 25%.

For context, a full Halo Support AI training day for your whole team costs £1200. After FSP funding, you pay £300. That's your entire team trained for less than the cost of a decent laptop.

Who qualifies?

To be eligible for FSP funding your organisation needs to meet a few criteria:

Your organisation must be based in Wales. The funding is only available to Welsh businesses and charities - if you're outside Wales you can still access training but the funding won't apply.

You must have fewer than 250 employees. The programme is aimed at small and medium-sized organisations, which is the vast majority of businesses and charities in Wales.

You must be a private sector business or third sector organisation. Charities and social enterprises are included. Most public sector bodies are not eligible, though it's worth checking with Business Wales if you're unsure.

The training must meet a recognised standard. This is where CPD accreditation matters - the FSP requires that training is either accredited or meets a recognised industry standard. All Halo Support AI training courses are accredited by The CPD Group, which satisfies this requirement.

How does the application process work?

It's simpler than most people expect. There's an expression of interest form that goes to Business Wales followed by some information about your business.

The main requirement is a Skills Development Plan, which your organisation submits to Business Wales as part of the funding application. This is essentially a short document explaining what training you're planning, why, and what you expect to get out of it. We guide every organisation through this - it sounds more daunting than it is.

Once the plan is approved, you book your training, complete it, and pay the 25% contribution. We handle the rest.

How long is the funding available?

FSP funding is currently available until at least March 2027. That gives most organisations plenty of time to plan and book, but I'd recommend not leaving it too late - availability fills up and the deadline will come around faster than you think.

Is this worth looking into for my organisation?

If you're based in Wales, have a team of five or more people, and you've been thinking about AI training, then yes - it's absolutely worth a conversation. The worst case is that you don't qualify, and I'll tell you that honestly rather than waste your time. The best case is that a training day that would otherwise cost £1200 costs you £300 instead.

We're not affiliated with the Welsh Government and we don't have any vested interest in you applying for FSP funding specifically. We just think it's a genuinely good scheme that not enough Welsh organisations know about.

If you want to find out whether your organisation qualifies, register your interest here and we'll have an informal chat. No sales pitch, just a straight conversation.