As stated in the Fund guidance, employers have the right to appeal a decision made by the college on their application for training. Appeals should be made to the Scottish Funding Council.

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund is designed to be responsive to the needs of levy-paying employers in Scotland. An employer is required to demonstrate their eligibility to pay the UK Government Apprenticeship Levy in order to access the Fund. A successful application will be required to identify the skills gaps the employer aims to address and how the funded activity will contribute to increased productivity.

The Scottish Government has promoted the Fund through a variety of media channels and has encouraged stakeholder groups to promote the Fund to their members and networks.

The Fund provides the flexibility for an employer operating in more than one region to submit their application to the college of their choice.

Information on opportunities for the progression of the bioeconomy in Orkney is not held centrally.

The bioeconomy is one of four priority sectors set out in 'Making Things Last - A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland' (available at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0049/00494471.pdf). The Scottish Government recognises that food waste and production is a significant source of carbon emissions, and a more circular approach to the beer, whisky and fish sectors could lead to potential savings of £0.5 billion per year.

Circular economy-related SME support is being extended by up to £30m of EU funds up to the end of 2018.

The Zero Waste Scotland Circular Economy Service and £18 million Circular Economy Investment Fund will support SMEs to exploit circular economy opportunities by changing their products and business models and by collaborating with supply chains and academia.

The Zero Waste Scotland ‘Bioeconomy Accelerator’ under the Circular Economy Investment Fund is supporting innovative projects in partnership with IBioIC to enable transformative projects and maximise collaboration between business and research.

As set out in our draft Scottish energy strategy (available at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00513466.pdf), we want to enhance our understanding of the role bioenergy can play in decarbonising Scotland’s energy system. That is why we have committed to developing a whole system Bioenergy Action Plan.

No publication date has been set for the Bioenergy Action Pan but we will be engaging with a wide range of stakeholders across Scotland over the coming months to shape the development of the plan.