Decision details

Decision to make awards under Round Two of the People & Skills Strand of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in South Holland. Specifically, this includes an award of funds to the following projects:

Boston College - Career Advance (Award: £36,835)
The Career Advance Programme offers provision beyond the Adult Education Budget (AEB), aiming to support a cohort of 99 learners across the SELCP area with NQF Level 2-3 training (or equivalent) and a guaranteed job interview with a named local employer, supported by wrap-around employability and life skills support. There will also be peer-to-peer support, a series of guest speakers from industry and project-based interventions to support learners in taking the next step in their career.

South Holland District Council (SELCP) – The Lincolnshire Academy (£12,224)
The ‘Lincolnshire Academy’ is the proposal to create a long-term academy model at the SELCP, to support the development of a pipeline of talent into key roles. The current areas that represent need are Building Control, Planning and Environmental Health. This proposition will save the taxpayer money through reducing the Council’s reliance on agency staff and will offer local residents not currently employed by the Council (who are the audience for this intervention) with the opportunity to gain the competences required for a long-term, skilled career in the local public sector.

This compliments the substantial number of awards made in January under Round One of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund's People and Skills Strand.

As part of HMG’s Levelling Up Agenda and in line with the commitments made by South Holland District in the UKSPF Prospectus and Investment Plan, we have committed to invest in high-impact projects across three core themes:

Communities and place - Supporting community groups and investment in community facilities; enhancing the cultural and heritage offer; widening the use of community buildings; initiatives to help support our town centres.
Supporting local business - Helping local businesses invest for future growth; growing the food processing, horticulture and logistics sector; encouraging new businesses to establish; helping the local social and community enterprises to innovate and grow.
People and skills - Developing skills and employment opportunities within the fresh food, food processing and logistics sectors; creating new training hubs; supporting local residents with skills and access to employment.

These allocations principally meet the objectives that we have committed to under the People & Skills theme and with the projects passing a rigorous assessment process, we are confident that they can deliver the outcomes expected from the Programme quickly and substantively. This has been the basis of the decision.

These funds were allocated on a competitive basis, based on the second round of applications to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund's People & Skills Programme. The alternative would be to not award the funding, which would bring severe reputational risk to the Council both with the public and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.