Annex 1
1. EXAMPLE OF
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
INVOLVEMENT IN
ESF
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight LSC
Emmaus Project
1.1 Two voluntary sector groups applied
for ESF funding to support their clients. Emmaus group dealt with
disadvantaged young people, many of whom had housing problems,
coupled with some drug and alcohol abuse. The voluntary organisation
concerned ran a centre where the young people got together in
a sheltered environment and benefited from counselling, workshops
and training. They wanted, however, to be able to provide more
intensive and accredited training for its clients, but were not
approved providers in their own right and would struggle as a
result to meet the relevant criteria. They were encouraged by
the local LSC to approach their local FE College. As a result,
a bid was submitted by Farnborough College to the local LSC for
Co-financing support, on behalf of the voluntary organisation,
Emmaus projects. This meant that the college was responsible,
as main contractor, for the quality assessment and project management
responsibilities.
Deafplus Project
1.2 Farnborough College also submitted a
partnership project on behalf of Deafplus, another voluntary organisation
who provided training to people with severe hearing difficulties.
1.3 Feedback received to date indicates
that this FE/Voluntary Sector/LSC link up is a very equitable
partnership and all sides are benefiting from the arrangement.
1.4 ESF/LIF allocation for Emmaus Project
amounts to £19,871 with 80 beneficiaries involved, and £34,316
for Deafplus with 144 beneficiaries involved.
2. EXAMPLES OF
FE COLLEGE INVOLVEMENT
WITH ESF
Canterbury College—Mobile Learning
2.1 This project is funded through ESF Co-financing,
following a successful pilot Local Initiative Fund (LIF) project,
which ran from June 2001 to March 2002. The overall project value
is £119,525 of which £53,787 is ESF, matched with £65,739
further education funding.
2.2 The aim of the project is to enable
the partner organisation to increase the capacity and practicality
of delivering ICT learning via laptop computers within village
halls, community centres, neighbourhood and community organisation
premises and rural settings in the East Kent triangle. This will
be achieved through establishing a mobile learning unit using
wireless LAN technology. It is anticipated that this project will
reach up to 300 "hard to reach" beneficiaries from disadvantaged
backgrounds. To date 150 beneficiaries have enrolled onto the
project.
3. EXAMPLES OF
FE COLLEGE INVOLVEMENT
WITH ESF
Gloucestershire LSC—Cirencester College
(working in partnership with Hartpury College and the Royal Agriculture
College)
3.1 The aim of this project was to mitigate
the damaging effects of foot and mouth disease and the wider agriculture
and food crisis on farm businesses and the collateral damage to
rural businesses dependant on tourism, such as guesthouses and
heritage amenities throughout Gloucestershire.
3.2 It was achieved by the development and
use of on-line learning to support diversification, business change
and up-skilling of farming and rural communities. It will help
to raise the ICT skills of the land-based workforce and support
and develop diversification and change after Foot and Mouth.
3.3 This project delivered a large number
of Training Needs Analysis and launched a series of workshops,
Modular programmes and Courses to the Country, with leaflets being
distributed to businesses.
3.4 The project will receive ESF to the
value of £130,000, with match funding coming from LIF and
19+ participation funds. Outcomes are 100 Training Need Analyses,
10 ICT Courses with 100 beneficiaries attending, five workshops
with 100 beneficiaries attending, Adult Guidance involving 50
beneficiaries, a modular programme in three phases involving 35
beneficiaries, and three network groups.
4. EXAMPLES OF
SOCIAL INCLUSION
PROJECTS IN
ESF
Birmingham and Solihull LSC—4 Real Project,
Birmingham and Solihull Connexions Service
4.1 The project aims to provide targeted
interventions for disaffected young people 13-17 to raise their
motivation, achievement and progression. It will enhance and increase
the current work of the Education Business Consortium. It aims
to add value to existing provision as well as piloting new methods
of delivery and testing new ways of engaging students, employers
and schools. The activities undertaken will break down barriers
by improving employability through the development of key skills.
The target group for the purpose of this project is 13-17 year
olds who have been excluded from school or are at risk of exclusion.
The activities will not duplicate statutory educational provision.
4.2 The project delivers tailored programmes
of education business activity to groups of 13-17 year olds based
upon the needs of the school and the young person. The distance
travelled by the young people is measured using a range of tools
including "Future Wise", which has been developed as
part of this project. Some of the activities include work related
curriculum activity focusing on employability skills, extended
work experience and residential programmes.
4.3 The project has developed activities
with employers as well as consulting with the young people themselves
in order to provide opportunities for the young people to express
themselves and at the same time demonstrate the effectiveness
of the project from their point of view. The project amounts to
£319,500 over the course of the programme from July 2002
until July 2003 although this is broken down into termly amounts.
It will cater for 477 Beneficiaries from a key disaffected client
group. A continuation project to develop the good work already
carried out has been approved to take the project up until the
end of 2004.
5. BIRMINGHAM
AND SOLIHULL
LSC
Birmingham Institute of Education Training &
Technology (BIETTEC)
5.1 This project aim was to reach out to
women who are not participating in any basic learning or vocational
training. The project encouraged participation in training towards
a vocational craft/sewing qualification in order to enhance their
opportunities of gaining skill accreditation and employment within
their local community. Job search activities and information technology
also played an integral role in the delivery of the project. The
project was delivered at three locations across the city in accessible
locations and provided bilingual support where necessary.
5.2 The project targeted women, from ethnic
minority communities in particular, who:
— have low incomes and long terms of
unemployment;
— have no experience of learning or
vocational access to learning;
— have no experience of earning for
themselves;
— wish to upgrade their existing skills
through accreditation and upskilling; and
— are disengaged from activities due
to their status in the community.
5.3 The project received £81,518 in
ESF funding from May 2002 until February 2003 and has helped 70
Beneficiaries to work towards NCfE accreditation in Stage 1 Craft/Sewing
Skills.
Chris Minett
4 April 2003
| 
