ESB Funding

The European Social Fund (ESF) Convergence Programme for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is currently managed by the Department for Works and Pension and was created to enhance Employment and Skills in the European Union. By increasing skills levels and job prospects it is hoped that living standards will improve for those in Europe. 

Some of the key ESF projects currently being delivered in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly are; 

Work Place Learning (WPL) Project

The ESF Work Place Learning Project runs from April 2012 to July 2015 and essentially seeks to promote the in-work progression of employed or self-employed individuals with low skills and aged 19+ who live or work in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly through the delivery of work-related skills training.

The core target group are those with low skills (below Level 2) and the project seeks to support individuals into higher levels of training and workplace progression. All qualifications are to be fully funded by the project.

The principal outcome of activity will be in-work progression into:

• starting an apprenticeship / higher apprenticeship
• starting QCF-regulated skills training at a higher level
• moving into secure employment
• promotion or increased responsibility

A Convergence Premium enables additional skills support for the development of employees from the workforce or sector of core target group participants. This will focus on the following priority sectors:

• Public Sector
• Rural Land-Based
• Food & Drink
• Social Care
• Tourism & Leisure
• Marine
• Engineering & Manufacturing
• Knowledge-Based
• Low Carbon
• Voluntary & Community

All qualifications/units are to be fully funded by the project.

The £5.4m project is contracted by the Skills Funding Agency to Cornwall College which leads a partnership of diverse providers, including the following core partners:

Cornwall College Business, Truro & Penwith College, Education & Training Skills, Focus Training, DMTBS, ReZolve, Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C),  Digital Peninsular Network (DPN), Duchy College and The Council of the Isles of Scilly.

For further information contact the Project Co-ordinator; on .

Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) Project

The ESF Skills Support for the Workforce Project runs from May 2013 to July 2015 and essentially seeks to support sustainable employment and promote the in-work progression of employed or self-employed individuals with low skills and aged 19+ who are employed in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly, through the delivery of work-related skills training by a range of partners meeting strategic skills needs in Cornwall. The core target group are those with below a level 2 qualification working in an SME, though some flexibility allows activity for employees in larger companies and the public sector, and additional activity (higher skills levels and thresholds) is allowed for those companies which meet LEP priority skills needs.

All qualifications/units are to be fully funded by the project. The principal outcome of training activity will be in-work progression into:

• starting an apprenticeship / higher apprenticeship
• starting QCF-regulated skills training at a higher level (ie L3+)
• Average Progression rate 35-40%

In addition the project provides an element of capacity building which will enhance skills support for the project and beyond.

The £11.29m project is contracted by the Skills Funding Agency to Cornwall College which leads a partnership of diverse providers, including the following core partners:

Cornwall College Business, The Learning Partnership, Cornwall Council, Truro & Penwith College, Education & Training Skills, Focus Training, DMTBS and Petroc.

For further information contact the Project Co-ordinator; on .

Local Response Fund

Within the Skills Support for the Workforce project there is £2.5m for a Local Response Fund (LRF), a European Social Fund project co-financed by the Skills Funding Agency. The LRF has the same overarching aims and objectives as the Skills Support for the Workforce project in terms of delivering solutions that respond to local skills needs to support employed individuals, especially young adults (aged 19 and over), to raise their levels of attainment, enable them to improve their employment status and to move them on to undertaking higher levels of training.

The LRF specifically aims to respond to new and emerging local skills issues as identified by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly through the development and piloting of innovative interventions and training provision.

Cornwall College Group, as lead applicant on behalf of a broad partnership of organisations, has been working closely with the Employment and Skills Board (ESB) of the LEP to develop a Skills Plan which identifies the priority issues and skills needs of businesses and SMEs in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.

The Skills Plan includes skills issues in the following priority areas. It includes a suite of learning and capacity building activities, built around a new approach to the development and delivery of locally tailored solutions. Businesses and employers can be involved in helping to design their own solutions to the skills issues identified for each priority area:

• Advanced Business Skills (incl. leadership & management)
• Software Sector
• Hospitality & Tourism Sector
• Social Enterprise Sector
• Low Carbon Economy
• Manufacturing Sector
• Marine Tech
• Health & Care (incl. E-health & Wellbeing) 
• Voluntary & Community Sector
• Workforce LLDD
• Food & Drink Sector
• Higher Level Skills (pilots in Expert Chef and Farm Management Business Skills)

The LRF project will provide funding for activities until July 2015.

For any further information please contact: , Local Response Fund Manager, .