• News
  • Events
  • Case Studies
  • Publications
  • Press Office
  • Contact
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • OxLEP Business
OxLEP OxLEP OxLEP OxLEP
  • About
    • About OxLEP
    • About Oxfordshire
    • Our Team
    • Our Board and sub-groups
    • Our Meetings
    • Our Programmes
      • Getting Building Fund
      • Local Growth Fund
      • City Deal
      • Growing Places Fund
      • European Funding
    • Our Strategies
      • Our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP)
      • Innovation Strategy
      • Skills Strategy
      • Environmental Strategy
      • Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS)
    • Our Governance
      • Our Structure
      • Meetings
        • Past Meetings
      • Sub-committee
      • Oxfordshire Skills Board
      • Oxfordshire Growth Board
      • Key Policies & By-laws
    • Local Industrial Strategy
    • Ox-Cam Arc
    • EP:50
    • Vacancies
    • The LEP Network
  • Skills
    • Our Approach
    • Our Programmes
      • Apprenticeships
      • Work Experience
      • Enterprise Advisors
      • Community Employment Plans
    • Education & Business
    • Skills and Labour Market Information
  • Business
    • Our Approach
    • Growth Hub
      • Get Connected
        • Local Business Groups
        • Find National Help
      • Grow a Business
      • Start a Business
    • Coronavirus
    • UK transition
    • Innovation
    • eScalate
    • Funding & Grants
    • Invest in Oxfordshire
      • Business in Oxfordshire
      • About Oxfordshire
      • Commercial Property
      • Investment Support
        • China Prospectus
        • China Prospectus
        • Living in Oxfordshire
        • Professional Service Providers
      • Sectors
        • Automotive & Motorsport
        • Creative & Digital
        • Life Sciences
        • Robotics and Autonomous Systems
        • Space-Led Data Applications
  • News
  • Events
  • Case Studies
  • Publications
  • Press Office
  • Contact
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • OxLEP Business

Search form

News

You are here

  • Home
  • News
  • OxLEP encourages businesses and charities to bid for major funding, supporting better access to jobs market

OxLEP uses cookies to capture data, allowing us to improve our site experience for everyone.

To learn about how we use cookies please visit our privacy policy

Posted on 21st August 2018

OxLEP encourages businesses and charities to bid for major funding, supporting better access to jobs market

OxLEP encourages businesses and charities to bid for major funding, supporting better access to jobs market

A total of £3.1million available for projects via the European Social Fund

Businesses and charities are being advised to ‘be ready’ by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) after it was announced that the Education and Skills Funding Agency had published two European Social Fund (ESF) project specifications, with the aim of supporting people to gain access to the workplace.

Today (21 August), £2.1million will be made available for a Skills Support for the Workforce project to back activities that help to upskill Oxfordshire’s workforce, whilst an additional £1million Skills Support for the Unemployed fund is also on-hand for projects that help the county’s long-term unemployed to gain access to training and job opportunities.

As one of 37 Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, OxLEP is encouraging businesses and organisations to apply for funding, prior to ESF’s application process deadline of 17 September.

It’s hoped that those bidding for a share of the £2.1million fund will create a programme tailored to increase skill levels, including via new higher-level apprenticeships stimulating growth for businesses in the process.

The £1million pot will help to equip individuals with skills to support sustained employment and progression in the workplace.

Organisations planning to bid for the £1million share will need to create a service that helps to improve the employability of those not in work, as well as addressing basic skills requirements of the unemployed – and those inactive – so that they can compete effectively in the labour market.

It’s also hoped bids will provide support for women disadvantaged in the labour market – helping to reduce the gender employment gap.

Key dates for ESF applications are:

  • 21 August – application process opens
  • 17 September – application process closes
  • 1 April – programme delivery set to commence

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP, said: “A key aspect of creating – and indeed sustaining – a successful economy is to ensure those furthest away from the employment market are able to access it much more readily and effectively.

“Organisations will be able to make a genuine impact on the Oxfordshire economy through this round of funding.

“One of our priorities as a Local Enterprise Partnership is ‘People’. This priority aims to: ‘Deliver and attract specialist and flexible skills at all levels – across all sectors – as required by our businesses with full, inclusive employment and fulfilling jobs’. With this in mind, we would absolutely encourage organisations to come forward with bids for this fund.”

Since 2014, Oxfordshire has successfully secured £8.6million-worth of ESF funding, supporting a variety of projects.

Programmes to have benefited from funding include Activate Learning’s £1.2million three-year Building Better Opportunities project, launched in August 2016. It helps Oxfordshire’s long-term unemployed to gain access to training and employment.

Over 300 residents have taken part in the project since it began.

In addition, a £460,000 Oxfordshire Community Grants Scheme – run by Oxford City Council – provides grants from £5,000 to £50,000 for community groups, helping residents access development schemes and jobs.

The Activate Learning-led ‘Back on Track’ project – a £1million scheme – helps to transform the lives of youngsters at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) or who have recently become NEET.

A total of 26 secondary schools have so far engaged in the programme.

The procurement of funding is managed via this Department for Education webpage, organisations MUST register here to apply.

Rob Panting

By Rob Panting 306 articles

[email protected]​oxfordshirelep.com
01865 897195
07748 333402

Other General News

19th January 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally opens Oxford Biomedica’s manufacturing facility Oxbox

18th January 2021

Competition launched to find Oxfordshire’s most-impactful energy projects

15th January 2021

Local Growth Fund-backed Earth Trust project continues to take shape

14th January 2021

'Don’t go out' warns public health chief as COVID cases hit stark new heights in Oxfordshire

12th January 2021

Businesses snap-up seven units at Axis J9 in Bicester

11th January 2021

Applications open for round two of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage

Stay up to date on the latest stories and events with our newsletter

Sign Up
youtubetwitterlinkedinfacebookinstagram
  • About
    • About OxLEP
    • About Oxfordshire
    • Our Team
    • Our Board and sub-groups
    • Our Meetings
    • Our Programmes
    • Our Strategies
    • Our Governance
    • Local Industrial Strategy
    • Ox-Cam Arc
    • EP:50
    • Vacancies
    • The LEP Network
  • Skills
    • Our Approach
    • Our Programmes
    • Education & Business
    • Skills and Labour Market Information
  • Business
    • Our Approach
    • Growth Hub
    • Coronavirus
    • UK transition
    • Innovation
    • eScalate
    • Funding & Grants
    • Invest in Oxfordshire
OxLEP Ltd, First Floor, Jericho Building, City of Oxford College Campus, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1SA
[email protected]​oxfordshirelep.com
0345 241 1196
  • News
  • Events
  • Case Studies
  • Publications
  • Press Office
  • Contact
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • OxLEP Business
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
© 2021 OxLEP
Website by Indulge