Business Gateway retains £1.63m DigitalBoost delivery contract

24/06/2019
Kate Forbes MSP and Alison Potts, Wonky Woolies_ photo Phil Wilkinson
Kate Forbes MSP and Alison Potts, Wonky Woolies. Photo Phil Wilkinson

Business Gateway is set to continue delivering Scotland’s national digital business skills training programme, DigitalBoost.

The programme will help thousands of Scotland’s SMEs for a fourth year thanks to a continuation of funding from the Scottish Government. The funding of £1.63m runs until 1 April 2020, with hopes that it will continue further beyond that, subject to future funding.

Kate Forbes MSP, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, announced the funding extension whilst on a visit to Wonky Woolies, a Kelso-based bespoke knitwear company that has benefitted from DigitalBoost support. She commented:

“Technology is forecast to be the fastest growing sector in Scotland by 2024, but success is dependent on skills. We are committed to ensuring our workforce and businesses are able to embrace the many opportunities that the digital world offers.

“I am delighted to launch this next phase of DigitalBoost which will help even more small and medium sized enterprises in Scotland achieve their digital aspirations. The programme has already supported thousands of businesses and individuals to develop their digital capabilities including expanding into new markets. I look forward to seeing this continue into DigitalBoost’s fourth year.”

Almost 20,000 Scottish business owners have now benefitted from DigitalBoost’s expert free training and advice,

Steven Heddle, Environment and Economy Spokesperson at COSLA said: “DigitalBoost has been successfully delivered by local government through our Business Gateway service for the last three and a half years and this is recognised in the continuation of funding. Over the past year alone, we have seen demand for DigitalBoost 1:1 adviser support increase by 50%. Thanks to this newly announced funding extension, we can continue this important work to help Scotland’s SMEs compete on both a national and international scale.”

DigitalBoost provides local workshops, 1:1 support from a digital expert, online tutorials, and practical guides on topics including social media, cyber resilience, data analytics, digital marketing strategy and e-commerce. Another key component of the DigitalBoost service is a five-minute online health check business can take to assess their digital strengths and weaknesses.

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