Conditions of Funding (Grant)

PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP FUND Annex A – Conditions of Funding

SKILLS AND LEARNING BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET AND POOLE

FUNDING GUIDANCE FOR PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP FUNDBIDS 2015/16

Contents

Section A Introduction

Section B Skills for Jobs

Section C Health, Wellbeing and Community

Section D Supporting information

Section E Priorities

Section F Target Groups

Section GAdministrative requirements for successful projects

Section H Payments

Section IAreas of deprivation……………………………………………..……..……6

Section AIntroduction

Skills and Learning:Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole is the largest provider of part-time adult learning opportunities in the County of Dorset. Skills and Learning: Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole’s aim is to work across Dorset with individuals, employers and communities to provide high quality teaching and learning, improve skills and knowledge and meet personal development needs.

Skills and Learning:Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole has accessed funding from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to support the development of community based learning and capacity building of volunteer skills. We invite bids, from organisations or partnerships working with the community, to fund projects to support the following criteria which all successful bids should meet:

• To deliver high quality teaching and learning to meet individual and community needs with a particular focus on workless people wanting to improve their skills and return to work or to re-engage in the community

• To encourage those who would not normally see themselves as learners to

access learning, increase their self-esteem and confidence and develop their

life and work skills

• Offer pre-employment support and training to prepare adults for employment
  
• To offer those with special needs and without formal qualifications a bridge

back into learning

• To offer a clear progression route through learning which will attract and

interest the participant into further learning

• To offer innovative learning opportunities that will engage those who do not see the benefit of learning

• To attract new learners (at least 60% of total learners should be new to learning)

The projects should build the following aspects into the bids:

• The purpose of the project and the anticipated outcomes
• Who will benefit from the project and how
• How the project will be managed
• The range of teaching and learning opportunities offered
• How the learning offer might be sustained
• How learners will receive information advice and guidance from a specialist
• Value for money analysis (i.e. cost per learner) to achieve outcomes

It will be important to show how the project will have a positive impact on the learnerand evaluate their gain, in improving their skills for employment, volunteering or community engagement.

The managers of the projects will need to develop quality assurance systems and willbe assisted in doing this by monitoring and support visits from Skills and Learning: Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole. Successful organisations will need to prepare a Delivery Plan. Tutors and staff who are in direct contact with learners may be required to provide evidence of a CRB or DBS check. Skills and Learning:Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole will support staff who require a DBS check in this process.

The training of teachers and assessors to build local expertise will also be ofimportance and will be given support.

Targets quoted will need to be realistic and evidence of progression routes will beessential. The definition of progression will include:

• Enabling and encouraging learners to move into further learning with providers such as the adult education services, the colleges and government funded courses in the voluntary and community sector
  
• Effective signposting and referral to wider skills for jobs activity
  
• Progression into employment
  
• Improving Health and Wellbeing
  
• Engagement with the community

It is also important that the money is not used for learning covered by other fundingopportunities and cannot be used for capital expenditure.

Section BSkills for Jobs

Skills for Jobs is an umbrella term for a range of different activities that aim to link skills development to sustained employment. The target group is low skilled adults aged 19+, not currently in employment, but who want to work. Within this broad category meeting the needs of local disadvantaged communities and individuals facing specific barriers and significant disadvantages are a priority. These barriers include:

• Having a disability
• Having a mental health condition
• Being from an ethnic minority
• Being over 50
• Being a lone parent

The aim is to have greater impact on individuals’ chances of gaining both sustained employment and raising their skills levels. This will be achieved through activities providing both pre and post employment training and support. Skills for Jobs activities will engage low-skilled individuals who are not working and support them into both employment and continued up-skilling, particularly through Traineeships, Apprenticeships (work-basedlearning) and part-time further education opportunities.

Skills for Jobs will support a range of activities for participants with a key aim of ensuring tailored, individual support and improved integration of services so that progression between different services is as seamless as possible.

Examples of skills for jobs activities include:

• Signposting and referral to specialist provision
• Individual skills diagnostic and assessment
• Employability and occupational training tailored to individual needs
• “Softer” skills development e.g. assertiveness, anger management and motivation
• Mentoring and support services

It will be a key element of ensuring progression for participants that effective signposting and referral to wider skills for jobs activity takes place.

Section CHealth, Wellbeing and Community

Projects are also invited from groups who wish to improve the health and wellbeing of parts of the community through a programme of learning. For an outline of the target groups that may be involved please see Section F.

Successful projects would be able to understand the needs of the target group and how improvements in health and wellbeing could be measured. Bids that demonstrate innovative methods of engaging with learners and delivery are welcomed.

Projects that are designed to develop community interaction e.g. the development of a community garden must demonstrate what learning will take place. This should include ‘soft skills’ where appropriate. Soft skills include ‘building confidence’, developing negotiation skills and many others.

A sound need for the project should be provided in the bid paper.

Section DSupporting information

• Priority recipients should be organisations engaged in direct delivery of learning or working in partnership with a range of providers that are offering learning through VCS (Voluntary Community Sector)
  
• PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP FUND funds may be used for support activities that are directly associated with frontline delivery
  
• Organisations should not rely on PROJECT AND PARTNERSHIP FUND money for their long-term survival

Section EPriorities

• New providers - to build capacity
• Learners aged 19+
• Partnership projects are preferred
• The provision of progression opportunities
• Volunteers and volunteer teachers/trainers working for voluntary groups
• Learners from the target groups
• Inclusion
• Community cohesion

Section FTarget Groups

Groups include the following however this list is not exclusive:

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• Adults at risk of social isolation

• Adults with Learning Difficulties
• Adults with Mental Health Problems
• Domestic Violence – Men
• Domestic Violence – Women
• Family Learning – Men
• Family Learning – Women
• Gypsy/Travellers
• Health & Wellbeing
• Homeless
• Older People

or vulnerably housed

• Sex workers
• Unemployed
• Volunteer/Carers

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Section GAdministrative requirements for successful projects

• To attend an information session at the start and end of the project year, dates to be confirmed
  
• To attend,with representatives of all other successful project bidders,termlyreview meetings with Skills and Learning
  
• To adhere to the timescales for returning project paperwork as described in Annex C
  
• To be familiar with the necessary forms and guidance as set out in Annex B
  
• To provide a detailed delivery plan including dates and learner numbers once a bid has been accepted
  
• To work with Skills and Learning to measure Social Return on Investment

Section HPayments

Payments are made on profile of the project. A 10% is paid on receipt of the signed contract and the detailed delivery plan. Learners are given a value and payments are made against the start and the completion of learning programmes. A final payment of 20% of the payments made through the life of the project is made, of this final payment one quarter is dependent on receipt of the Social Return of Investment matrix. Projects that do not meet the target learner numbers will not attain the full funding value of the project.

Section IAreas of Deprivation

Dorset

Poole

Alderney

Branksome East

Hamworthy West

Newtown

Poole Town

Bournemouth

Boscombe East

Boscombe West

Central

East Cliff and Springbourne

Kinson North

Kinson South

Strouden Park

Wallisdown and Winton West

West Southbourne

Westbourne and West Cliff

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