Workforce Development Fund (WDF)

We have been successful in our bid to Skills for Care to administer Workforce Development Funding for the 2022/23 round supporting the delivery of training for our adult social care providers in County Durham. 

The Workforce Development Fund supports the provision of high-quality care and the continuing professional development (CPD) of staff across the adult social care sector by providing a contribution towards the costs of vocational learning. The fund allows you to claim back money towards the costs of workers completing a broad range of adult social care qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules.

Apply for funding

You will need to join the Care Academy to access the funding.

Once registered, we will contact you to discuss next steps.

Discover the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) skills for care

This is a 30 minute webinar for Registered Managers.

This webinar covers: 

• What is ASC-WDS?
• How can it benefit your organisation?

You can view the webinar at Webinar for Registered Managers

Key sector priority for the WDF 2022/23

In 2022/23 the WDF will continue to provide enhanced funding for completion of leadership and management qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules. The funding will support registered managers and other frontline managers with their continuing professional development (CPD), ensuring that they're able to access learning opportunities to continue to develop their knowledge and skills to effectively lead and support the workforce through the pandemic.

What can be funded

We will only fund qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules which are included in the list of  funded qualifications and learning - see Skills for Care: Workforce Development Fund 2022/23 - funded qualifications and learning.

We will fund a maximum of £2,000 per learner per financial year.

All qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules will be funded up to the value advertised on completion.

Funding claims from all sources (combined with our funding) must not be more than the total cost of the training (i.e. no profit must be made from these funds). Any excess shall be repaid to us before any other funder.

Apprenticeship levy paying employers cannot use the Workforce Development Fund to offset apprenticeship levy payments. It is possible to claim the Workforce Development Fund alongside the apprenticeship levy but it is not possible to use WDF towards apprenticeship training delivery or end-point assessment costs which have been funded through the levy.

Full details of the workforce development fund can be found at on the Skills for Care Website at Skills for Care: Workforce Development Fund.