£1.5million for Inclusive Employment in D2N2 Area

Equal opportunities and improved employability are the aims of a £1.5million funding call, now open in the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) area.

Funding is now available to organisations across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire that can manage and distribute grants, to support people in the D2N2 area who have barriers to employment, education and training.

This funding is released as part of the D2N2 Community Programme, run by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). D2N2 is a partnership of businesses, local authorities, skills and training providers and community and voluntary sector organisations. It works to grow the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire economy, with the aim of creating 55,000 new jobs in ten years (2013-2023).

As part of this overall mission, D2N2 has a £197million allocation of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). This is split into the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), designed to help businesses in the D2N2 area grow and improve their competitiveness, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), designed to help rural businesses and communities and the European Social Fund (ESF), designed to help people in the D2N2 area access opportunities and overcome barriers to long-term, sustainable employment.

The £1.5million available as part of this current funding call comes from D2N2’s European Social Fund allocation. D2N2 is looking for organisations across its area that can manage and distribute small grants across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Grants should be made available to providers who work directly with people in communities to build confidence, address barriers to inclusion and move closer to becoming economically ‘active’.

Organisations which are looking to submit a bid as part of this call will need to provide half of their programme’s overall funding amount, which will be matched from the £1.5million now on offer from D2N2’s ESF allocation. The deadline to apply for this funding is August 21, 2018.

Programmes submitted as part of this call should look to help deliver some or all of the following:

• basic skills and English as a second language (ESOL) training,
• support for basic skills in preparation for apprenticeships;
• support for those who need pre-traineeship and pre-Work Programme assistance
• support for skills, including team working, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking and self-direction;
• money management support and advice and financial literacy programmes in order to address debt issues
• digital and internet literacy courses to aid job searching and progress in work;
• softer skills development, including assertiveness, anger management and motivation

‘The Active Inclusion Community Grants Programme’ is the first part of the D2N2 Community Programme. This aims to promote equal opportunities, improve employability and support communities across the D2N2 area. The main beneficiaries of the D2N2 Community Programme will be those who are unemployed or inactive and require dedicated support to move closer to employment.

Rachel Quinn, D2N2 Careers, Employability & Inclusion Manager, said: “It’s vital that the benefits of employment and economic growth are felt across the whole of the D2N2 area. This is why part of D2N2’s European Social Fund allocation is being offered to support organisations working at very local level in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

“In inviting organisations to bid for this funding, D2N2 is looking for providers who can manage a programme with local reach into small organisations helping those who have barriers to accessing long-term, sustainable employment.”

D2N2 will also be hosting a free Technical Assistance workshop, to help organisations bid for funding for this call, on Thursday July 5, from 10.00am to 1.30pm. It will be held at Erewash CVS, Granville Avenue, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire (NG10 4HD) and will include a networking lunch.

This event will give information on the local strategic priorities for the D2N2 ESF programme and is designed to support potential applicants interested in applying to support the delivery of the Active Inclusion Community Grants.