The third in a series of four workshop sessions – to help businesses understand how they can help deliver a multi-million pound programme supporting people into employment – was held in Derby today (May 18).
D2N2 – the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – has held workshop sessions this week at Chesterfield, Edwinstowe (pictured) and Derby, with a fourth and final one to be held in Nottingham tomorrow (May 20), to help businesses and organisations understand how they can bid to deliver the recently announced INSPIRE Local programme, designed to help people facing barriers to employment.
The INSPIRE Local programme will look to support people who have difficulty in gaining employment due to a disability or health condition, having little or no work experience, living in isolated or rural areas, or in areas with high levels of social exclusion. It is being funded by D2N2’s European Social Fund (ESF) investment, itself part of a larger €250million European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) allocation.
Each INSPIRE Local workshop gives an overview of ESF in the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire area, as well as an instructional session on various stages of the application process for potential suppliers and a question and answer session.
Employment seekers taking part in the INSPIRE Local programme will receive:
- A two week support programme, including help with motivation and creating a plan of action; which could include work experience, further training, health and well-being support, and access to addiction treatment programmes.
- An assigned mentor who will work with individuals for up to a year to support progress with their action plan.
- Funding for individual’s additional needs; such as extra equipment needed to enable someone to undertake work experience.
- Mentoring support for up to six months once people are in employment; and practical help with things such as travel costs, work equipment and extra training.
- Complementary help to enable people to progress further, once they have completed their programme (which may take up to a year).
INSPIRE Local aims to help at least a quarter (25%) of those participating into sustainable jobs or further training. Applications from organisations looking to deliver the programme will be reviewed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is providing matched funding for and managing the INSPIRE Local programme for D2N2. The deadline for applications is Tuesday June 14 (2016).
All the INSPIRE Local workshop tickets have been taken up, but for further information regarding the D2N2 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) programme, please visit the D2N2 ESIF website at www.d2n2lep.org/EUFunding OR contact Richard Kirkland, at the D2N2 LEP, on email: richard.kirkland@d2n2lep.org
