More than £1.5m has been awarded by South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership this week to support local business growth, skills and community projects across the sub-region through the UK Shared Prosperity and Rural Prosperity Funds (UKSPF/REPF), along with the next phase of the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’sGRASSroots scheme.
The majority of the funding has been awarded through the ‘Communities and Place’ and ‘Supporting Local Business’ areas of focus, targeting those aiming to have a positive, meaningful impact on communities in Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland, as well as those looking to support local businesses to develop and create jobs in the area.
About half a million pounds has been granted through the first round of the Partnership’s People and Skills awards, which is helping to directly support residents access higher paid, higher skilled work while also reducing unemployment and economic inactivity locally.
The latest round of funding has allowed the Partnership to expand the reach of UKSPF – which was made available by the Government to invest in and empower local communities – ensuring that the greatest possible number of areas within the sub-region benefit from support. This includes communities such as Louth, Wainfleet, Frieston and Holbeach, ensuring that the prosperity the fund brings is truly shared.
Funded projects include:
- LCVS Community Transport : Looking to develop and enhance community transport infrastructure across the entire sub-region, aiming to increase the number of journeys available and volunteers taking part.
- Community-Based Digital Support Sessions :Using local venues across the Partnership area to support residents in our Districts (particularly in rural communities) to access digital services, go online and become digitally savvy , including supporting them to access key online services such as health providers and HMRC, as well as scam-awareness training.
- PAB Languages – Global Entrepreneurs : This project will provide a structured programme supporting the development of entrepreneurship and upskilling employees of our larger businesses to engage with export and international markets, drawing participants from people in employment in food processing, logistics, social care and e-commerce.
- Heritage Skills in South and East Lincolnshire :A Programme to encourage the development of traditional and ‘at risk’ heritage and craft skills, giving residents in our area the opportunity to try their hand at skills like lime plastering, traditional joinery and thatching, as well as supporting them to explore future careers in the heritage construction sector
- Connect2Grow : A project focussed on reducing economic inactivity in Boston and South Holland, helping individuals who are economically inactive or in receipt of universal credit skills training and support, identifying suitable vacancies, providing job interviews and follow-on in-work support.
- Higher Level Engineering Skills for South Lincolnshire’s Key Sectors : Working with local employers to build engagement, shape provision and strengthen local access to specialist higher level training in food and manufacturing engineering courses at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing. This will be supported by a Programme providing insight into the sector for local school-aged learners, giving them experiences of and hopefully, an interest in working in our area’s vital agri-tech and food industries.
- Future Skills Programme : Delivered by the TEC Partnership, this will deliver digital training to 100 economically inactive beneficiaries focused on digital employability skills including data management, design, multimedia and AI support, supporting this group to gain key digital skills and access employment with local employers
