The Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has selected seven projects from across their area to each receive £40,000 of funding from their £1 million Prize Challenge Fund.
Claire Higgins, VCSE member of the LEP Board, explains: “The LEP Prize Challenge provides vital funding to support innovation within the charity and social enterprise sector. With funding in short supply, these grants enable local organisations to help those furthest from the workplace gain the skills and experience they need to become work ready, more socially mobile, and ultimately secure employment.
“Each of the organisations have demonstrated a unique insight into their local community, and have designed projects that will meet their specifics needs. We look forward to the projects getting underway in the New Year.”
The seven projects to have secured funding are:
- DIAL Peterborough (in partnership with the City College Peterborough) – A ground-breaking project that will harness the power of digital communication to support disabled people to secure employment through the production and promotion of a personalised digital CV. Each individual will film and produce their own digital CV, with the support of the project team, gaining important employability skills and enabling them to better showcase their individual skills.
- Abbeycroft Leisure – Engaging with young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), the team from Abbeycroft Leisure will use physical activity to help young people develop a number of skills that will increase their self-confidence and work-readiness. This will include the chance to obtain leisure related qualifications that can lead to employment. The project covers the whole of the West Suffolk area, and will run from Abbeycroft Leisure’s bases in Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, and Mildenhall.
- The Ferry Project – Building on the success of previous job clubs, the funding will enable The Ferry Project to run more frequent job clubs with a regular programme of speakers and activities designed to help people return to work. Those attending the clubs will receive tailored support, including transportation and specialist ESOL qualifications where required. The team will also run a Jobs Fair in Wisbech to help connect those seeking work with local employers.
- Reuseful UK – Based in March, Reuseful will create jobs and work placements for long-term unemployed individuals through de-branding and remanufacturing uniforms and corporate workwear. The money made from the remanufacturing will be reinvested into the project to reduce waste and increase employment opportunities for local people.
- Ramsey Neighbour Trust – The Ramsey Phoenix project will support ‘hard to reach’ adults to engage with learning and employment opportunities by tapping into ‘hobby’ subjects that capture their interest. Bespoke learning and training projects will then be established from these subjects to develop key skills that will improve participant’s employability skills, as well as providing direct contact with local employers at the same time as boosting their confidence levels.
- Gladstone Connect – The funding will be used to establish an employment and skills hub in the Gladstone area of Peterborough within the Allama Iqbal Family Centre. The hub will build on a number of skills courses already run at the centre and provide an employment and skills focused service for the local community. Intensive job preparation support will be provided to groups and individuals, alongside advice to equip people with the skills they need to move them into, and remain in employment.
- Rosmini Centre – Situated in Wisbech, the Rosmini Centre has highlighted the challenges local mothers face with securing appropriate childcare, particularly short notice and out of hours’ care, in the local area. The team will facilitate a four tier childcare scheme to improve childcare options for local families, particularly from migrant communities, to enable them to find employment. The project will provide training to improve English language skills, as well as training and qualifications that will support the migrant community’s integration with the existing local community.
__________________________________________