The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has become the first accountancy professional body to join the South Yorkshire Skills Bank, a key initiative led by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). The move aims to strengthen the region’s financial expertise and help local businesses close vital skills gaps.
The Skills Bank provides grants covering up to 60% of training costs, making AAT’s Essentials and Business Finance Basics courses more accessible through the Skills Bank Portal. Supported by SYMCA Skills Advisors, businesses can choose from approved training providers, including AAT, to build the financial and business skills needed to drive growth and resilience.
South Yorkshire faces a clear challenge. Finance and auditing rank among the most in-demand skills in the region, yet only 7% of candidate profiles list them, while 37% of job postings require them. This gap highlights the need for targeted upskilling to strengthen the local economy.
AAT’s national Filling the Gap report paints a similar picture. It found that 80% of employers face skills shortages that reduce productivity and increase workloads. Over a third of businesses struggle to recruit finance and accounting professionals, with many also finding it difficult to source candidates with strong problem-solving, strategic and critical thinking skills.
Claire Bennison, Executive Director of Customer, Partnerships and Innovation at AAT, said: “South Yorkshire is poised for growth and we’re excited to address the national skills shortage that is being firmly felt across South Yorkshire, holding people, businesses and the region back from fulfilling their full potential. Accountancy and finance roles underpin the success of every type of business, regardless of sector. That’s why we’re delighted to be the first accountancy professional body to join the South Yorkshire Skills Bank providing access to much needed financial and business training. It signals to employers in the region that the door is now open to them to undertake the financial training that is deeply needed. With the right training and support, we can help businesses grow, support staff looking to upskill or retrain which builds resilience in the region’s economy.”
The partnership marks a step forward in tackling South Yorkshire’s skills challenge and creating a more confident, capable workforce equipped for future growth.
