Funding awarded to projects in Greater Manchester which help people develop skills and find jobs

EIGHT organisations in Greater Manchester have been awarded funding to help improve the lives of people and communities in need.

The projects have received a total of £4,240,996 from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF). All of the projects chosen to receive the fund will work to help support people in the city-region build their skills and increase employment opportunities.

The projects chosen range from those which help people aged 16-25 find employment, schemes to connect young people to jobs in the green economy, initiatives to upskill self-employed individuals and new business start-ups as well as mentoring programmes to help people build their confidence. All of the projects must be delivered by 30 June 2022.

The eight projects to receive a grant include:

• Good Things Foundation - Breaking Digital Barriers: A Pathway to Digital Employability
• One Manchester - Manchester Green Economy Employment Partnership
• GMCVO - Greater Manchester’s Hidden Talent
• Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - Rochdale New Pioneers Programme
• Positive Steps - Roots of Opportunity
• Growth Company - Start Up Vision    
• Growth Company - The Good Jobs Project        
• InspirED Associates - TRANSFORM - TRaining ANd Skills FOR Manchester – providing local people with local opportunities                                                                   

Councillor Bev Craig, GMCA lead for Education, Skills, Work, Apprenticeships and Digital, said: “These eight projects have been selected due to their work in assisting communities most in need in the city-region, as well as their efforts to support people with finding jobs and building new skills.

“The UKCRF has been created to support innovation and new ideas, and these organisations will be working in a variety of different ways to help people in need find employment opportunities – ranging from support for young people to find employment in Greater Manchester’s growing green economy to connecting our communities to new digital jobs.”

The UKCRF is a UK government programme which invests in skills, community and place, local business and also supports people into employment. The UK Government designated 100 areas across the UK as ‘priority places’ to receive the fund, which included four boroughs in the city-region – Bolton, Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale.

GMCA was named as the Lead Authority with responsibility for inviting, assessing and submitting a shortlist of bids to UK Government for the UKCRF. GMCA will also be responsible for contracting with and managing each successful project in Greater Manchester.

For more information about the UKCRF in Greater Manchester please visit the GMCA website. More information about the UKCRF can also be found on the Government website.

Article Published: 20/01/2022 09:26 AM