Shared Prosperity Fund
People and Skills
The Cheshire West and Chester UKSPF Investment Plan sets out the priorities for People and Skills to be delivered in year 3 of the programme (2024-25). These included:
- Providing support to those residents facing barriers to employment and training to achieve their potential (E33/E34)
- Raising aspirations of young people through learning and volunteering opportunities to support their future careers (E35)
- Delivering in-work skills and training to support staff recruitment, retention and progression, and improve business productivity and growth (E37)
As this is a one-year programme, the Council will use this funding to complement existing provision already available to residents and businesses such as skills bootcamps, employment support offers (available through Department for Work and Pensions, the Council and other partners) and local further and higher education provision.
The Council has also allocated some of the People and Skills funding to support businesses to better identify and articulate their skills and employment needs. This will be supporting those businesses working in the Origin area of Ellesmere Port and those supporting heritage skills.
Details on these projects can be found below.
- Defining Futures (E33):
This project provides employment support to residents unable to access other similar programmes, with a specific focus on those experiencing or at risk of becoming homeless, residents who are aged 50 or over who are finding it hard to access work, residents who have physical and learning disabilities, residents living in rural areas who may find it problematic to access work zone support and provision through travel or digital connectivity barriers and offenders/ ex-offenders.
Lead delivery partner: Cheshire West and Chester Council
Contact: skillsandemployment@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk - Fresh start (E34):
This programme supports young people aged 16-19, transition into education/ employment. These young people are currently unable to access targeted employment support through mainstream funding due to their age. Beneficiaries would also not need to be claiming universal credit to access this support. The target cohort for this programme (although not exclusive) would be those young people currently accessing Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or Care Leavers.
Lead delivery partner: Cheshire West and Chester Council
Contact: skillsandemployment@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk - People and skills project (E33):
The project will support residents to get ready for employment – mentally and physically, offering tailored packages of support that are not available elsewhere – whether that is helping individuals to access the gym to improve their fitness, access to an increased level of counselling support or guidance on becoming self-employed.
Lead delivery partner: Weaver Vale Housing Trust
Contact: workteam@wvht.co.uk
- Pledge Project:
To broker effective links between local employers and young people (aged 14-25), supporting the development of the local talent pipeline and raising careers awareness and aspiration.
Lead delivery partner: Youth Fed
Contact: Georgina.mills@youthfed.org - Local Supported Employment (LSE):
The project supports residents who have a learning disability or autism, who are known to adult social care, to find and sustain work.
Lead delivery partner: Cheshire West and Chester Council
Contact: supportedemploymentservice@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk - Better Start:
This project extends a programme of support to young people, not in education, employment and training in Winsford.
Lead delivery partner: Youth Fed
Contact: To be confirmed
- Hydrogen modular course development:
To develop a moduar course for the upskilling of operatives, focussing on the skills needed to operate a hydrogen plant.
Lead delivery partner: Cogent Skills Limited
Contact: Helen.jenkinson@cogentskills.com - ESOL in the workplace:
To provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to employees so that they can complete their studies and also to progress their careers within the workplace. The latter will focus on the following three sectors: Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Warehousing and Logistics.
Lead delivery partner: To be confirmed
Contact: To be confirmed
- ESOL for Professional Life:
To provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to employed residents so that they are able to develop more effective business skills
Lead delivery partner: Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Race and Equality Centre (CHAWREC)
Contact: sophie@chawrec.org.uk
- Business Support for childcare providers:
This project will help to support providers to plan for and respond to both the increase in funded childcare places available from April 2024, September 2024 and September 2025 and also the increase in wraparound childcare places required from September 2024.
Lead delivery partner: West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber
Contact: Carol Dolan, c.dolan@wcnwchamber.org.uk
- Inclusive Employer Training:
To provide training to employers so that they can become more inclusive in their approach to their recruitment of staff and supporting current employees to thrive.
Lead delivery partner: University of Chester
Contact: Please complete the expression of interest form on the Lets talk business website. - Low carbon capacity building:
To provide training to employers so that they can build their own capacity to carry out low carbon audits for their own business, or on behalf of a business network, such as a Business Improvement Districts (BID).
Lead delivery partner: Groundwork
Contact: Please complete the expression of interest form on the Lets talk business website. - Local Skills Improvement Programme – short course delivery:
Short-course development programme in response to the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
Lead delivery partner: Warrington and Vale Royal College
Contact: Please complete the expression of interest form on the Lets talk business website.
- Employer Training Grant:
To provide training grants to employers so that they can grow, diversify or become more inclusive.
Lead delivery partner: West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber
Contact: Please complete the expression of interest form on the Lets talk business website.
