First tenants move into flagship Levenmouth Business Park

The first tenants have moved into the new flagship Levenmouth Business Park – marking a major milestone in the ongoing regeneration of Mid-Fife.

Seven new modern and attractive units have been built at Muiredge on the outskirts of Buckhaven, providing 741 square metres of space for a range of businesses and supporting the creation of an estimated 15 jobs.

The units – which have been built to a high specification - have evidenced high demand, with six units snapped up by growing businesses and new enterprises with ongoing enquiries focussed on the remaining available unit.

After the units were formally handed over by contractors last week, the occupants are starting to settle into their new surroundings, supporting the expansion of Levenmouth’s business base.

The creation of Levenmouth Business Park is part of the £58 million 10-year Fife Industrial Innovation Investment (Fife i3) Programme, which has been supported through the wider £1.5 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and aims to provide much-needed serviced employment land and new industrial, office and business space across the Kingdom.

Around £1.2 million was secured via the City Region Deal for this particular project, while £715,000 from the Levenmouth Reconnected Programme – a £10 million fund set up to maximise the benefits of the new Levenmouth Rail Link – also went towards site servicing and the new builds.

Councillor Altany Craik, spokesperson for finance, economy and strategic planning, said he was delighted to see the new units open for business.

“The Fife i3 Programme is all about creating conditions for start-ups and SMEs (small/medium-sized enterprises) to grow and innovate, and with that comes direct and indirect employment, increased demand for local services, and major benefits for supply chain businesses both here in Fife but across Scotland more generally,” he commented.

“It’s great to hear these units have been in demand, and of course they are perfectly placed to take advantage of the new £116m Levenmouth Rail Link, the new active travel network going in, and enhanced bus services.

“We’ve been committed to ensuring new, flexible business property is available across a range of locations, sizes and uses, and I think Levenmouth Business Park is a prime example of that.

“On behalf of the council, we’d like to wish all the new tenants well and we look forward to seeing them flourish.”

Fife Council’s Economic Development team has led on the development and promotion of the new units and employment land with the aim of securing new occupiers and investment at the Business Park. To find out more, visit www.investfife.co.uk or email fifemeansbusiness@fife.gov.uk.

A fly-through video of the new units can be found on the Levenmouth Reconnected You Tube channel here: https://youtu.be/Qczb-uPDc9g

City Region Deal Annual Report 2023/24

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal’s Annual Report was approved by Joint Committee on 6 September.

The report summarises progress of the Programme for the sixth year since the signing of the 15-year programme (August 2023 to July 2024). The report contains a City Region Deal overview, Financial Statement (for the financial year 2023-24), a short summary of progress on each project and programme and expected milestones to be achieved in the next year. Seven case study videos are included in the report to demonstrate how the Deal’s projects and programmes are benefiting people.

The report includes updated figures showing the positive benefits that the Deal has brought to the region, including:

• adding £2.2bn Gross Value Added to the Scottish and UK economy;

• creating or supporting 20,000 job opportunities;

• supporting 900 micro, small and medium enterprises;

• supporting 500 apprentices and internships;

• donating over £100,000 to regional good causes; and

• leveraging an additional 45% on government funding drawn down thus far

 Read the full report (interactive) or download the accessible version  [PDF, 2.3MB]

Six-Year Anniversary

Today marks the six-year anniversary of the signing of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. 

 Signing of the City Region Deal, 7 August, 2018, Bayes Centre, Edinburgh

The Deal is a 15-year, £1.5 billion programme of 20 projects across five themes, aimed at driving productivity and reducing inequality, with £600m of this contributed equally by the Scottish and UK Governments.

This year, two major capital projects were completed within the Research, Development and Innovation theme: the Edinburgh Futures Institute (a fantastic transformation of the Old Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh) and the Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics.

Edinburgh Futures Institute 

Usher Institute

Some of the benefits as a direct result of the Deal investment have now been calculated and include:

• £1.5bn of Gross Value Added to the City Region, Scottish and UK economy;

• Over 18,000 job opportunities created and supported;

• 100,000 students completing data courses;

• £200m secured in research funding through the Data-Driven Innovation programme;

• More than 900 micro, small and medium enterprises supported; and

• Over 500 apprenticeships and internships supported.

You can read more in our sixth annual report, which will be published on our website on 9 September.  Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out!

Ministerial Launch of Bus Driver Careers roadshows in the South East of Scotland

 The Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Deal and regional Bus Operators welcomed the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Mr Jim Fairlie MSP, to launch a regional Bus Driver recruitment campaign on 2nd May 2024 in Edinburgh.

Over the last two years Bus Operators have had a high level of job vacancies which has affected their ability to provide consistent levels of services across our region, affecting school transport, the ability for our communities to access employment, training and education, with the impact also being felt by the leisure industry. 

The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity was shown the collaborative working that has been undertaken between Bus Operators and the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Deal to launch the Bus Driver Careers Helix website and organise a series of recruitment roadshows across the South East of Scotland.

The Minister was able to meet some regional bus operators to learn about the employment and development opportunities in the bus industry and how regional recruitment events can benefit the industry.  Bus operators highlighted that the industry offers a great employment opportunity, with many operators fully supporting candidates through driver training qualifications and once qualified staff are offered a flexible work-life balance, in an environment that will support staff development and allow them to achieve their full potential.  Bus drivers within regional operators also have the opportunity to develop their careers into other parts of the business such as operations, management, marketing, engineering and even Net-Zero.

Further recruitment roadshows will be taking place across the Scottish Borders, Fife and the Lothians throughout May and June, and we encourage anyone interested in a career in the bus industry to speak with their local employment support teams in the Department for Works and Pensions, or look out for information on the roadshows by visiting the Bus Driver Careers Helix website.  

  Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Mr Jim Fairlie– It was great to join partners at the first bus driver recruitment event in Edinburgh.  There are fantastic opportunities in the bus industry – and with more public transport trips made by bus than by any other mode of transport, buses are our greatest ally in reducing congestion, improving air quality and protecting the climate by reducing the need for private cars. With flexible working conditions, well-paid opportunities and a clear sense of purpose in keeping the country moving every single day, I am delighted that the Scottish Government has been able to support this initiative as part of our £300m investment in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.  And I would encourage everyone to consider the wide range of opportunities available in the bus industry.

 Councillor Scott Arthur - Transport and Environment Convener, City of Edinburgh Council “Our bus services form a critical part of our transport network, to support our communities, businesses and the journey to net-zero.  The last couple of years have been difficult for the industry with lower patronage levels following Covid 19 and a loss of drivers affecting service levels.  The growth in demand since then, however, means there is huge demand for drivers.

 “The driver recruitment roadshow is another example of how the bus sector is innovating and working in partnership to attract new talent for the future. I met new and experience drivers and was pleased to hear about how rewarding the job was and also the potential to move on to more senior roles withing the industry.”

The Data Lab upskills more than 1000 learners to address growing digital skills gap

The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, has announced it has upskilled almost 1,000 learners in data literacy through its Data Skills for Work programme. The vast majority of which are based in Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Led by The Data Lab, the Data Skills for Work programme is part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal’s DDI (Data Driven Innovation) Data Skills Gateway at the University of Edinburgh. It aims to address the tech skills gap by offering a series of digital and data courses to support workers adapting to increasingly digitised, automated and data-driven workplaces.

In addition to tackling the skills gap, the programme also aims to encourage more diversity in the workplace. Only 24% of the UK’s tech workforce are women and 14% of UK employees are from BAME backgrounds. Data Skills for Work bucks the trend with almost 70% of learners being women or gender diverse, nearly a quarter being from a minority background, and 10% being disabled or neurodiverse.

The Data Skills for Work programme has received funding from the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the Scottish Government, and the Tay Cities DigiTay project to fund training places for individuals across Scotland. The Data Lab has extended its work with DigiTay and will offer more data and upskilling courses to Tay Cities learners in 2024/25, aiming to reach upwards of 200 additional people across Tay Cities, Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Anna Ashton Scott, Programme Manager for Professional Development at The Data Lab, said: “The pace of technological change shows no signs of slowing down. Workplaces are becoming increasingly reliant on technology and, with data now at the heart of many aspects of our professional lives, those who can’t keep up risk being left behind. While these changes certainly bring positives, it’s crucial we don’t let others fall by the wayside. The Data Skills for Work programme ensures those most impacted by the changes in digitalisation and AI can learn the skills they need, not only to survive in their chosen fields but to thrive in them.

“And the initial feedback we’ve received tells us it’s working. It has been extremely satisfying to see a significant number of learners either secure a data related role or progress in their careers following completion of the course.

“We’re excited to expand the programme further and look forward to seeing more learners join the scheme. Diversity has been a major focus for us, and we hope to continue empowering individuals regardless of their background, gender, or location to create a more diverse, skilled and inclusive workforce for all.”

Dilraj Sokhi-Watson, Director at Equate Scotland and a graduate of the Data Skills for Work programme, said: “With more than 10 years of experience in my field, there is still much more to data skills than I had realised. Before joining the programme, I was keen to bridge the gap between my existing expertise and the rapidly changing technology the team are using daily. I was also keen to develop skills that would allow me to implement strong practice in data governance, management and strategy across my team.

“Being part of Equate Scotland, diversity and encouraging more women into STEM careers has always been important to me. It’s rewarding to see the meaningful change being driven by the Data Skills for Work programme and how it contributes to achieving a more inclusive and innovative STEM sector for Scotland.”

The Data Skills Credits scheme, funding run by Data Skills for Work to ensure learners can undertake courses for free, will be open for training providers to apply this April. It will help to create over 200 training places across Tay Cities, Edinburgh and South East Scotland.