ESF COMMUNITY GRANTSCURRENT AND FUTURE
John Hacking
Network for Europe
Current ESF Community Grants Programme 2007 - 13
• ESF community grants are grants of up to £12,000 which enable small VCS organisations to work with most disadvantaged and excluded people.
• The grants have a local focus and seek to move people closer to the labour market.
They support a wide range of activities including:
• initial help with basic skills
• taster work experience, including voluntary work
• training, advice and counselling
• confidence building.
Target Groups
• People with disabilities or health conditions (inc. those with learning difficulties, mental health issues or drug and alcohol dependency problems)
• People aged 50 or over and seeking employment
• People from ethnic minorities
• Women
• Lone parents
• Because of the nature of the target groups, project outcomes involve progression towards a job or further training, rather than the immediate achievement of a job or qualification.
• With the exception of London, the Skills Funding Agency has responsibility for Community Grants.
• CGs are delivered locally through Grant Co-ordinating bodies (GCBs)
• Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly Cornwall Development Company Ltd
• East Midlands Nottingham and Nottinghamshire VCS Learning and Skills Consortium
• East of England The Consultancy Home Counties Ltd• London London Councils• North East County Durham Community Federation• North West WEA: Learning For Life• South East Surrey Community Action• South West The Learning Curve• W Midlands Black Country Consortium Ltd• W Midlands Heart of England Community Foundation• Yorks & The Humber Humber Learning Consortium
Community Grants in The NW
• GCB in NW 2011-13 is the WEA.
• GCB Role:Develop & manage a Community Grants Programme.
Engage key stakeholders in the delivery model.
Develop & publicise an application process.
Receive , assess and select applications for grants andprovide support to grant recipients.
Monitor & evaluate outcomes & performance.
Evaluation of NW CGs 2011-13
165 grants allocated
3575 participants
£11,115 average grant award in NW
Projects21%
38% 17%
62%
37%
People with disabilities
People over 50
People from ethnic minority background
Lone parents
Female
Participants
Participant Progression
Further informal learning
Accredited learning
Work experience or placement
Volunteering
Job
Self-employment/own business/CIC/social enterprise
Unknown
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
243
205
81
260
125
12
315
Case Studies
Northmoor Community Assoc. (Manchester)
• Training & building confidence in participants to progress and engage with employment opportunities.
• Increasing migrants' participation in employment.
• Developing lifelong learning
• £12,000
Restore Rochdale Enterprise Skills
• Practical advice and support from local entrepreneurs inspiring local women to become self-employed.
• Supporting self employment and new businesses.
• £11,085
• 3tc Cloud Computing Course (Merseyside)
• A blended learning approach, enhanced by peer support, enabling participants to acquire and apply basic IT skills
• Promoting education and training throughout working life• • Improving equal access to employment
• Developing lifelong learning
• £12,000
Power Up (Wolverhampton)
• Training tailored to the needs of ethnic minority women
• Working through local community networks, the project reached individuals who are furthest away from the labour market, improving their employability and confidence.
• £11,700
Wyldwoods (Shropshire)• Working towards employability: Unlocking the potential of
disabled people.
• Wyldwoods received an ESF community grant to deliver a rural training project.
• The project aimed to empower the individual through developing skills, improved self-understanding, value and responsibility in preparation for employment.
• £12,000
Rise 2 the Top! (Birmingham)
• Helping young people develop their business, self-development and media skills to start their own business, gain employment, or go into further education
• £10,387
The Future
• BIS Guidance to LEPs June 2013
• One reference to “Supporting local ‘Community Grant’ type activity. “ (p.43)
• No mention in any of the six 1st wave Opt In Prospectuses
QUESTIONS• Do LEPs want a Community Grant Programme?
• Will there be a programme in the English ESF OP anyway?
• How do LEPs achieve a CG programme in their EIS Strategies
• What form would it take?
• Scale/Reach?
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