The main purpose of the Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) fund is to reach disadvantaged communities and individuals; to enable them to participate in learning, with progression towards further learning and/or sustainable employment as a key theme.
The City Council’s and MAES’ priority is to tackle the issue of worklessness amongst key groups in the most deprived wards of the City, particularly those residents in receipt of out of work benefits. Therefore this is the target group for this funding.
The City Council and MAES are seeking to support innovative projects and new ways of working that can provide people with their ‘first step’ into learning, increased confidence and increased motivation and ability to access further learning opportunities. It is recognised that the community and voluntary sector can provide some of the most innovative ways of providing learning opportunities to groups that have traditionally been hard to engage.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the fund is to build the skills levels of Manchester residents while complementing and providing progression routes to further learning and employment and volunteering.
The key objectives of this activity are:
• To deliver a programme of community learning activities which enable adults to move towards sustained employment and active citizenship, improving employability and essential skills and/or providing opportunities for learners to become involved in the local community
• To encourage Manchester residents who are workless and have low level skills to engage in learning and progress to further training opportunities, particularly targeting those who mainstream provision struggles to engage
• To provide information, advice and guidance on further learning opportunities for workless residents from voluntary and community based organisations to mainstream skills and employment support services
A range of organisations are eligible to apply for this funding, including:
• Voluntary and community unincorporated associations (e.g. community centre, group with a basic constitution)
• Registered charities
• Community benefit societies registered as industrial and provident societies
• Community interest companies or organisations of another type if you operate as a social enterprise and principally reinvest your surpluses for social benefit (for example, with at least three unrelated Directors and a clear clause within your governing document about how you reinvest surpluses into the community)
• Any other organisation which has a written governing document and is managed by a board of governors, trustees or management committee
For further information, contact Elaine Borrell, on 0161 234 5610, or email: [email protected] with ‘NLDC 2013-14’ in the subject line.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest form: Monday 3 June 2013, 12:00