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Assured Skills Programme State Aid

DELNI – Assured Skills Programme

UK State aid reference no:

Member State United Kingdom
Region Northern Ireland
Title of Aid Scheme Assured Skills
Legal Basis Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland 1950 (Chapter 29)
EC Legal basis

European Communities Act 1972

All aid provided under this Scheme will be within the limits set out in Articles 38 and 39 of Commission Regulation (EC) 800/2008 (General Block Exemption Regulation)
Objective of the scheme The Assured Skills programme is designed to assure both existing firms wishing to expand and potential new inward investors that we can provide the necessary support to deliver the skilled workforce that they require. The outcome of which will be increased employment for the region.
Granting Authority Name Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DELNI)

Scope of the scheme

The Scheme will be open to SMEs and large companies throughout Northern Ireland other than those in sectors prohibited under the General Block Exemption Regulations. Aid will not be allowed for the following activities:

  • aid to export related activities, namely aid directly linked to the quantities exported, to the establishment and operation of a distribution network or to other current costs linked to the export activity; or
  • aid contingent upon the use of domestic over imported goods. Aid may not be given where the proposed recipient of the aid is:
  • subject to an outstanding order for the recovery of aid which has been declared by the Commission to be illegal and incompatible with the common market; or
  • “a firm in difficulty” within the meaning of Chapter 2 of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJC 244, 1.10.2004)

Date and period of the Scheme

Support under this Scheme may be granted until 31st March 2015

Budget for aid under the Scheme

DELNI, at its discretion, will grant fund projects from its annual departmental budgets under this legal framework. The maximum allocation of funds under this scheme over the period August 2010 to March 2015 has been estimated at £19 million.

Maximum aid intensity

Specific training: 25per cent of eligible costs

General training: 60 per cent of eligible costs

The aid intensity may be increased to 80 per cent of eligible costs as follows:

  1. By 10 percentage points if the training is given to disabled or disadvantaged workers;
  2. By 10 percentage points if the aid is awarded to medium sized enterprises and by 20 percentage points if the aid is awarded to small enterprises.

Form of aid

All aid awarded under the Scheme will be transparent and in line with criteria set out in Articles 6.1(g), 38 and 39 of the General Block Exemption Regulation. Aid will be awarded by way of a grant.

Eligible activities to be supported under the Scheme

Assured Skills provides assistance to those existing companies wishing to expand and potential new inward investors looking to locate their business in Northern Ireland.

Training aid will be provided to companies to train staff for any new jobs created up to a maximum of €2m and will be based on a percentage of the overall costs in line with set European Commission criteria.

The eligible costs of a supported project are:

  • Trainers’ personnel costs;
  • Trainers’ and workers travel expenses, including accommodation;
  • Other current expenses such as materials and supplies directly related to the project;
  • Depreciation of tools and equipment, to the extent that they are used exclusively for the training programme;
  • Participating workers’ personnel costs and general indirect costs (administrative costs, rent overheads) up to the amount of the total of the eligible costs (points (i) to (iv). Only the hours during which workers actually participate in the training (after deducting any productive hours) may be taken into consideration.

Monitoring and reporting requirements

All recipients of aid under the scheme will be informed that aid has been provided under the Scheme pursuant to Articles 38 & 39 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 (General Block Exemption Regulation).

Eligible costs will be transparent and directly and exclusively related to the project being funded.

Records will be kept for 10 years from the date the last aid award provided under the Scheme is given. Records will be sufficiently detailed to establish that the conditions of the scheme are met.

An annual report on the expenditure under this Scheme will be provided to the Commission.

On written request, DELNI will provide the Commission within a period of 20 working days or such longer period as may be fixed in the request, with all the information which the Commission considers necessary to monitor the application of the General Block Exemption Regulation.

Where DELNI does not provide the information requested within the period prescribed by the Commission or within a commonly agreed period, or where DELNI provides incomplete information, the Commission will send a reminder setting a new deadline for the submission of the information.

If, despite such reminder, DELNI does not provide the information requested, the Commission may, after having provided the Member State concerned with the possibility to make its views known, adopt a decision stating that all or part of the future aid measures to which the Regulation applies are to be notified to the Commission in accordance with Article 88(3) of the Treaty.

Contact information:

DELNI
Skills Delivery Branch
Waterfront Plaza
8 Laganbank Road
Belfast
BT1 3LY
Tel: 028 90905248