The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Department for Work and
Pensions, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and Rural
Payments Agency announces a call to run a project providing help to employers
to increase apprenticeships, intern and work experience uptake, as well as
supporting skills development.
The Hub approach should be closely aligned to the GBSLEP Growth
Hub.
Applicants should consider how they will:
- Provide employers with a first
stop access point for skills support and advice, including how they will
receive referrals from the GBSLEP Growth Hub, develop publicity campaigns
and work with other partner organisations or projects;
- Meet the needs of individual
employers or groups of employers through Operational Needs Analysis and
Training Needs Analysis, and how they will work closely with the GBSLEP
Growth Hub complement of Business Brokers and Sector Advisers;
- Employ and manage a team of
skills or apprenticeship advisors/brokers who will provide a sector
focussed, personalised and tailored package of support that will enhance
business growth and performance including training packages and creating
more apprenticeships.
Processes must include
how the applicant intends to:
- Work with the Growth Hub
advisers to provide a service that compliments and expands the support
already in place;
- Implement a fair and equal
referral model within the skills and apprenticeship brokerage processes;
- Secure added value and
efficiency for employers through access to relevant funding support that
meets their needs and those of their employees, promotes progression and
is delivered by bringing different funding streams together in a seamless
manner;
- Put in place governance
arrangements for the Skills/Apprenticeship Hub Services and explain how
these fit with or work alongside the GBSLEP Growth Hub;
- Outline the funds that can be
used for, any limit on funding amounts and proposed employer contributions
with skills or apprenticeship developments, as well as the application,
approval, monitoring and evaluation procedures;
- Overcome logistical and
financial challenges in order to deliver high quality advice and
opportunities across the whole GBSLEP area;
- Collaborate with neighbouring
LEP’s, to ensure a seamless referral of appropriate individuals and
employers to similar support that is available in their LEP localities (outside
the geography and remit of GBSLEP).
The outputs of the
Skills for Growth and Apprenticeship Hub approach should include:
- Supporting employers to enable
employees to gain and/or increase their skills, apprenticeships and
qualifications;
- Increasing employers,
particularly SME’s and micro businesses with employees in apprenticeships
partaking in qualifications relevant to the labour market and GBSLEP’s key
growth sectors and particularly at NVQ3+;
- Increasing Apprenticeship
opportunities and knowledge of skills training, as well as work
experience, internships, work placements and graduate placements
(especially the number of SMEs engaged in these);
- Developing programmes and
activities which link employers to sources of recruitment, training and
skills provision, as well as providing a gateway and support mechanism for
local individuals, unemployed and disadvantaged residents seeking access
to and taking part in skills learning, jobs, apprenticeships, work
experience, and internships with local employers;
- Promotion of apprenticeships
and provision of advice and guidance to learners and employers;
- Provision of impartial advice
and guidance to employers to enable them to understand their skills needs
and the opportunities available for these needs to be met;
- Promotion of skills and
apprenticeships particularly to address labour market diversity and local
disadvantaged individuals in GBSLEP.
Funding Information
Approximately £1,200,000
of ESF is available.
Location: The project must cover the Greater Birmingham
and Solihull LEP area.
Target Audience
Activities should be
focused on support to SME and micro organisations as the primary target
audience, however applicants should also provide information on the total
number of participants expected to benefit from the project as a consequence of
the ESF project support to SME organisations.