The Department for the Economy’s latest Online Job Posting Trends fact sheet, from July 2026 outlines a number of support opportunities that may be of note to firms.
When it comes to skills recruiting is only half the battle. Building upon skills you already have in-house is often the faster, cheaper route to filling the gap. The good news is that the Department for the Economy runs two funded programmes specifically aimed at helping businesses do exactly that.
InnovateUs
Aimed at businesses with less than 50 employees, InnovateUs is fully funded by the Department for the Economy and delivered through the six local Further Education colleges.
Each InnovateUs project provides up to 60 hours of tailored training, delivered in the workplace, at college, or online, whichever suits your operation best. The training is built around your business, helping you develop ideas for new products, processes or services while upskilling your team at the same time.
It’s designed as a first step for small businesses that want to start upskilling and innovating but haven’t known where to begin.
Skills Focus
For slightly larger businesses, Skills Focus is aimed at SMEs with fewer than 250 employees. It supports collaborative working between your business and local colleges, providing tailored skills provision that meets your specific needs.
The programme covers qualifications from Level 2 right up to Level 7 (Master’s degree level), and is currently 90% funded by the Department for the Economy, with participating businesses contributing just 10%. It’s a route to raising the skills levels and employability of your existing workforce without carrying the full cost of training yourself.
Whether you’re a small operation just starting to think about training, or a growing SME ready to invest in formal qualifications for your team, there’s a funded route that fits.
You can find information on both at the links in the titles.