Grants will help small biz with employment plans

A NEW grant scheme has been launched to help get people out of unemployment in the Thames Valley.

Groundwork London and Groundwork South’s Community Training Grants are being offered in partnership with the Thames Valley Berkshire LEP. Grants will be awarded to organisations which help unemployed or economically inactive individuals towards employment.

Groundwork said that there are communities in Thames Valley that have exceptional needs, which can be hidden by the relatively high levels of employment within the area.

There is a need for positive interventions to ensure all those far from the labour market can access the employment opportunities being created in the local economy.

The Thames Valley Berkshire Community Training Grants will support those furthest from the labour market, targeting the economically inactive.

Successful applicants will move individuals either into employment, or establish a route towards employment, by helping individuals through education and training opportunities, advice, guidance and information.

Social and environmental regeneration charity, Groundwork, will be delivering the Grants programme on behalf of the funders ESF (European Social Fund) and ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency).

Martin Petry, Grants Manager, Groundwork London, said: “The Community Training Grants are an opportunity to support those furthest from the labour market and help local communities thrive.

“From self-help-based projects to projects which address exclusion, the £5,000 to £20,000 grants support a range of activities designed to help local people who need it most.”

The scheme is open to third sector organisations or small organisations of 49 employees or fewer. They can apply for grants between £5,000 to £20,000.

The funds come from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and The European Social Fund (ESF), a European Union, scheme with a focus on improving employment and education.

Groundwork is administering grants in the following Thames

Valley Berkshire local authorities:

West Berkshire, Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Slough.

For more details, log on to www. groundwork.org.uk/Sites/london/pages/ esfa-community-training-grants-thamesvalley-berkshire