North Ayrshire Council has secured funding from the Scottish Government's Islands Skills Fund, to support projects on Cumbrae and Arran that help improve people's skills.

Applications are now being accepted for the North Ayrshire ISLANDS Skills Initiative (NAISI) which is open to individuals (up to a value of £1,500), as well as groups, businesses and partnerships (up to a value of £10,000).

Interested parties are asked to submit their application as soon as possible with the deadline closing on January 16.

The funding is available to groups, businesses or individuals who meet one of these three criteria:

• Provide short-term funded skills and capacity building solutions that ensure islanders are engaged with and participate in activities that meet local needs and employment priorities.

• Identify priority groups including jobseekers, young people, parents, women, minority groups and individuals who require upskilling/re-skilling to enable and encourage continued employment and/or volunteering by members of the community in addition to support for those seeking to relocate to islands.

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• Strengthen links and understanding of need between local, regional and national partner organisations, local schools, colleges, universities, island businesses and organisations and senior phase pupils getting ready to leave high school

Councillor Alan Hill, Cabinet Member for Communities and Islands at North Ayrshire Council, said: "We are delighted to have been allocated up to £80,000 from the Scottish Government's Islands Skills Fund to deliver this pilot funding initiative.

"The aim of the programme is to support the resilience of our island economies, and to ensure that people have the right skills both now and in the future to help drive economic growth.

"This funding goes hand in hand with our 10-year islands plan for Cumbrae and Arran which aims to develop economic and social solutions in line with the aims of island residents.

"I would urge people to take a look a look at this funding opportunity and see if it will help them realise their ambitions."

The North Ayrshire ISLANDS Skills Initiative (NAISI) aims to support our islands in addressing education and skills challenges through increasing opportunities for education and skills provision, through work-based learning pathways and to trial new approaches that respond to local skills requirements for jobs on Arran and Cumbrae.

Applications will need to demonstrate how they contribute to one or more of the priorities in the Local Island Plan.