Education and Training grant supports new local business
David was awarded a grant from the Langhope Rig Wind Farm Education and Training Fund to gain a qualification to help start a new Scottish Borders business.
The Fund
The Langhope Rig Education and Training Fund, which is provided by Greencoat UK Wind, provides bursaries to residents in Ettrick & Yarrow, Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Midlem and Upper Teviotdale & Borthwick Water Community Council areas in the Scottish Borders. These bursaries support local residents to access training and education opportunities that better equip them with the range of skills needed to gain or retain employment.
David's story
David currently owns and runs his own handyman and landscaping business. However, due to the constant rainy weather the Scottish Borders has experienced over the past nine months, David’s business has been affected, as the majority of his work centres around being outdoors.
Near the end of 2023, David noticed a gap in the market for a qualitied PAT tester within the Scottish Borders. Due to new regulations surrounding renting and holiday lets, which now require portable equipment to be inspected and tested, the need to complete safety checks placed more pressure on electricians within the area who could not keep up with demand.
David identified this gap in the market and, to help bolster his employment opportunities, he made initial enquiries into available training courses to become a certified PAT tester.
He identified a training course, namely the City & Guilds 2377-77 Level 3 Award in the In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (PAT), but the costs of the course itself and associated travel costs were prohibitive, and so David sought funding from the Langhope Rig Education and Training Fund.
In his application, David said:
I am currently struggling to find work locally and I have identified through local contractors, businesses and personal interaction that there is a need for PAT testing in my area. This would allow me to remain employed in my locality and continue to offer my services to the community around me. I would be able to remain employed in the area and not have to travel further afield or move home to find suitable employment.
After due consideration, the Panel agreed to award the full amount applied for - £505 - which allowed David to achieve his qualification.
David is carefully planning his next steps in terms of launching his new business, focusing on promotion and market reach. He plans to start slowly and build the business organically, and is hoping in the longer term to be able to offer employment opportunities to others within his local area.
Without this funding David would not have been in a financial position to access the course, he would have slowly had to save, and this may have taken some considerable time. The funding has provided access to education when David needed it, and this has made a difference to David’s livelihood and quality of life.
Niome Lucjan, Community Funds Advisor from Foundation Scotland said:
The Education and Training Fund is available for a variety of opportunities and David’s course is a great example of identifying a gap in the local market and using the fund to improve one’s opportunities which offer long term job prospects. This is exactly what the Education and Training Fund was designed for, and it’s great to see the Fund in action delivering exactly what it was meant to do.
Longer term, David plans to incorporate the PAT testing business into his existing business using local contacts and word of mouth to grow. He said:
I would like to thank the Fund for its support as the grant has helped me to create an employment opportunity that keeps me in the area and will also support local community needs.
David’s journey is a prime example of what the Fund can do to improve opportunities within rural areas.
To find out more about the Fund please visit the Fund page here
Or contact Niome@foundationscotland.org.uk