The UK Local Growth Fund replaces the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to drive regional economic growth, boost productivity and improve local living standards through targeted investments in infrastructure, business support and skills development.
In 2026/27, the fund is distributed through local authorities and Edinburgh was allocated a total of £1,297,651 for People and Skills and Supporting Local Business priorities.
These Local Growth Fund projects are funded through the Supporting Local Business theme.
Project: Business Gateway Plus
Additional services to the baseline Business Gateway offering are increasing the numbers of high-value start-up businesses, increasing start-up numbers from previously underrepresented demographics and supporting first-time exporters to enter new markets.
Project: Greentech Growth and Scale
Greentech is one of CodeBase's flagship programmes for people building in the climate and sustainability space. It pairs structured learning in startup thinking, innovation and digital product development with a cohort community built for peer learning and mutual support.
It's designed for two kinds of people: those with an early-stage idea who want to build it the right way, and those already working inside a greentech organisation who want to bring startup thinking into how they operate. Both groups get outfitted with the same grounding: proven methodology, a community moving at the same pace as them, and the tools to turn ideas into practical application.
Project: Net Zero & B Corp Edinburgh
This programme supports small and medium enterprises to transition to low-carbon, responsible, and resilient business models and help companies achieve B Corp accreditation. The programme combines expert-led workshops, specialist one-to-one coaching and mentoring, peer-learning cohorts, and targeted events covering carbon measurement, B Corp-aligned governance, and social impact. SMEs will receive tailored guidance to develop action plans and improve operational efficiency.
These Local Growth Fund projects are funded through the People and Skills theme.
Project: Youthbuild
Action for Children are funded to deliver Youthbuild, a structured seven-week programme designed to equip young people for sustainable employment in construction. The target group is 16-24 year olds with multiple barriers who face poverty or disadvantage, with priority given to care-experienced young people, young ex-offenders, and those lacking skills and qualifications. Action for Children work to ensure progression pathways for young people to enter college, apprenticeships, and employment.
gi***********@*******************rg.uk
Project: Future Focus
Future Focus offers tailored employability support such as skills development, job readiness, vocational training and in-work support.
We also work directly with employers to help design inclusive recruitment practices, challenge stigma, and create meaningful opportunities.
Future Focus offers tailored employability support such as skills development, job readiness, vocational training and in-work support.
We also work directly with employers to help design inclusive recruitment practices, challenge stigma, and create meaningful opportunities.
Project: Barnardos Best
Barnardo’s Best offers flexible appointments for young people to attend and work on anything they are struggling within the employment field. Support is offered in CV writing, cover letters, increasing confidence in applying for jobs and career research. The opportunity to complete a work placement or volunteer is also available. The young person also has the opportunity to complete a first aid course or help with gaining a CSCS Card.
Project: MacMillan Skills Hub
The MacMillan Skills Hub supports local people in North Edinburgh access good-quality jobs linked to growth around Granton Waterfront, Leith and the wider Forth Green Freeport area.
Part of the wider Recruitment and Skills Hub network, it provides employability support including application and interview guidance, job matching and accredited training via the JobFit framework, alongside employer engagement to support recruitment needs and link candidates with growing opportunities.
By connecting residents to emerging sectors and opportunities, the project helps build skills and ensure communities benefit directly from regional economic growth.
The Felix warehouse provides employability and skills development opportunities. Each year, we redistribute around 750 tonnes of surplus food to groups who use this food to benefit their local communities. Our warehouse creates opportunities for people to gain hands-on experience in a real working environment. Alongside this we operate a fully RTITB-accredited forklift training centre.
The Cook School provides training in REHIS accredited Elementary Food Hygiene and Elementary Cooking Skills, it provides volunteering and employment opportunities for people to develop skills in order to enter the food industry. In doing so we support community eating spaces across Edinburgh and prepare meals for distribution through food banks.
All our training is offered in a supportive and encouraging environment that builds confidence and helps participants move towards employment.
Project: Growing Together Course
The Growing Together Course is a new venture of Edible Estates working in partnership with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, and a group of community gardening and community farming organisations in Edinburgh and the Lothians. It is funded by the Local Growth Fund to support the green transition and employability.
The course will run from the start of September to the end of March 2027, it will be a part‑time (seven hours/week), training programme that combines hands‑on placements with community gardens and farms, with structured learning in working with people and the land.
The course will have places for 24 people who must be resident in Edinburgh. The course is free, and some travel and subsistence costs will be funded.
Participants will spend time in real settings – such as community gardens, market gardens, school farms, therapeutic gardens and community woodlands – while also taking part in seminars and guided self‑directed projects on topics like community garden design, nature restoration, climate adaptation, and working with community groups.
Project: ERCC Volunteering and Training Programme
Volunteering opportunities for women to support those affected by sexual violence. Volunteers develop transferable trauma-informed skills and knowledge. Each person takes part in a bespoke rape crisis training program and completes a supervised long-term placement at ERCC.
Project: Communities Empowered
Networking Key Services (NKS) are funded by UKSPF to deliver holistic support for those from South-Asian communities.
NKS empowers South Asians through building capacity and resilience and by using a person-centred and bespoke approach where people can develop their skills to improve their life chances.
Examples of activities include digital skills, confidence building and welfare rights advocacy with bi-lingual support.
Project: Making Work Work
The Challenges Group delivers the Making Work Work – for Edinburgh Women programme (MWW). This aims to reduce economic inactivity among women returners and support women in work to upskill and increase earnings through CMI-recognised group training and one-to-one support. The programme has five elements: Professional Skills Refresh, Events/masterclasses, Mentoring, Continuous learning, and Ongoing support.
The programme will combine The Challenges Group’s employability and enterprise expertise to help connect skilled women returners with Edinburgh impact-led ventures and SMEs facing skills gaps, working with up to 10 businesses through four key stages: an Enterprise Skills Diagnostic to identify capability needs; a Growth Roadmap to support workforce planning; Role Design to develop market-ready, flexible job descriptions; and Recruitment Readiness training to embed fair work, EDI and inclusive recruitment practices that attract and retain diverse talent.
Project: The King's Trust - Get Into Programmes and Enterprise Support
The King’s Trust is delivering employability and enterprise support to support 16 - 30-year-olds into the labour market. This includes:
Where appropriate, young people will also have dedicated one-to-one support offering assessment and action planning, support with barrier removal and co-ordination with other provision such as support with housing or debt. Keyworkers will also facilitate motivational goal setting and links to work experience opportunities.
The King’s Trust will work to engage employers to ensure that training opportunities are closely linked to vacancies. Aftercare and ongoing support is provided to individuals, as well as the offer of career planning support, to enable young people to progress in the labour market.
For general employability enquiries and referrals, please use ce********************************@************rg.uk
https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/scotland
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