CLOSED: D2N2 - Technical Construction Skills for Unemployed People (OC08S19P1459)

Call to run a project This call seeks to develop a comprehensive package of support for unemployed and economically inactive residents to gain technical skills to support the construction sector in the D2N2 LEP area. The activity should aim to develop skills to meet future needs in relation to new technology modular housing construction or production methods.

This call is now closed. Please do not submit an application for this call. The information provided on this page is for reference purposes only.

Details

A key driver for the refreshed D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan 2019-2030 ( http://www.d2n2lep.org/SEP) is to promote investment in our physical infrastructure to meet future demand, support business & housing growth ambitions and enhance our natural environment.

There has been good progress in unlocking investment in strategic sites and infrastructure over the past 3 years, through Local Growth funding of some £250m – notably Infinity Park in Derby and MediCity in Nottingham, both in the Nottingham & Derby Enterprise Zone. We will build on this momentum, accelerating development on our Enterprise Zones and reinvesting the income in growth opportunities.

Through the D2N2 Infrastructure Plan we will identify the key infrastructure and locational requirements to strengthen our core innovation sector specialisms – e.g. Advanced Manufacturing in Derby, Life Sciences in Nottingham, and Logistics around East Midlands Airport and the Gateway Freight Terminal. We will support the implementation of the East Midlands Manufacturing Zone in North Derbyshire.

We need to work with Homes England to accelerate the completion of new housing to support D2N2’s growth ambitions and to deliver against Government targets, ensuring that this is supported by green infrastructure and multi-modal solutions, to encourage sustainable travel and mitigate the effects of additional travel in our faster-growing areas. This is the responsibility of the local housing authorities, working with the development community and in partnership with Homes England. The D2N2 Infrastructure Plan will identify infrastructure constraints in bringing forward key housing sites.

We will work in partnership with local authorities, Homes England, developers and the construction industry to help local housing authorities deliver their ambitious targets for growth – enabling the building of 128,000 homes by 2030. We will also support the promotion of Modern Methods of Construction across D2N2 as a means of accelerating housing delivery.

Housing will be a key relationship with our ‘opportunity’ construction sector. To build the homes of the future, we need to have the right skills and expertise in place. The requirements of our future homes are likely to impact on the use of energy efficient technologies such as heat pumps for off grid homes, off site manufacturing techniques and installation of vehicle charging points, grey water recycling and consideration of district heating opportunities on new developments.

We need to deliver existing plans for improvements in D2N2’s major road and rail networks, including measures to alleviate congestion to meet existing demand and to support ambitions for growth.

We need to fully exploit the transformational potential of HS2. The East Midlands Hub Growth Zone contains the HS2 Hub Station at Toton in Nottinghamshire, which will be the most connected station on the high-speed network outside London. To capitalise on this opportunity, we will work with partners to create the ‘Toton Innovation Campus’, linked to the university sector, capable of delivering up to 10,000 high-quality jobs, new community facilities and a range of new housing opportunities.

The HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Staveley and the ability to serve Chesterfield with high speed trains will have a transformational impact on the Derbyshire economy. The Northern Derbyshire Growth Zone is centred around the station in Chesterfield, and the planned Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Staveley, enhancing Chesterfield’s role as a gateway to the Peak District and accelerating the regeneration of the Staveley corridor and key surrounding sites.

The D2N2 LEP area therefore is forecast to have significant infrastructure investment over the next 20-year period and beyond including HS2 developments, which will have an impact on future workforce demand. Despite making one of the biggest contributions to England’s economic output, overall D2N2 suffers from an inefficient economy. Compared to our competitors we produce too little output for the number of hours we work – the so-called ‘productivity deficit’. Despite having the 5th largest workforce outside London, we have only the 9th largest economy. Too many of our businesses aren’t productive enough.

In D2N2 our workforce is not as well qualified as the workforce in the UK overall, with just 32% qualified to NVQ4 level or above in D2N2 compared to 37.9% in the UK.

Looking ahead to 2030, we can expect our working-age population to grow only very slightly. In D2N2, the working age population will rise by just 1% between 2014 and 2039 - so there won’t be a lot of new labour coming into the economy. We can also expect the jobs of tomorrow to look a lot different – as digitalisation and automation gather pace – requiring a different skills’ set. If we’re to become a more efficient and internationally-competitive economy and, at the same time maintain a high level of employment (and minimise unemployment), we need to find ways to produce much more output with the labour we have as well as attracting the best talent from elsewhere.

This further conceals significant variations in workforce skills between areas within D2N2. Productive firms demand more highly skilled workers who earn higher wages. Our current skills profile limits opportunities for workers and firms in our area.

For more information, download the call specification.

Location

The project must cover the D2N2 LEP area.

Value

Approximately £2,000,000 of ESF is available.

Deadlines

Full application deadline: 01 October 2019

Completion date

Projects must be completed no later than 3 years and 6 months after the proposed project start date, however the ESF Managing Authority reserves the right to vary the maximum duration in exceptional circumstances. All ESF Projects must be completed by 31st December 2023. Project costs cannot be incurred beyond this date.

Full Application Submission

To apply for funding under this call you will need to complete and submit your Full Application via the ECLAIMS IT System.

Full Applications submitted in the ECLAIMS IT System after the call closing date shown above and on the call specification will not be appraised.

If you do not already have access to the ECLAIMS IT system, please request an ‘ECLAIMS External Access Form’ by emailing E.CLAIMSSUPPORT@dwp.gov.uk

You will need to request an External Access Form for each person in your organisation who requires access.

It is your responsibility to ensure you request and activate your ECLAIMS access in sufficient time. We strongly advise that you obtain and activate your ECLAIMS access at least 2 weeks prior to the advertised call closure date, if not sooner.

You are also advised to read the details in the call specification in order to produce an application that complies with the requirements and meets the needs set out in the ESF Operational Programme. All this information, the related guidance and the European Social Fund Operational Programme can be found from our homepage.

The published ESF Online Full Application Guidance also provides step-by-step advice on how to complete your Full Application using the ECLAIMS IT system. ESF Online Full Application Guidance.

Technical Support

If you encounter any technical difficulties completing or submitting your Full Application via the ECLAIMS IT system, please send an email to E.CLAIMSSUPPORT@dwp.gov.uk

The technical support operating hours are Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm and it is your responsibility to ensure you seek and technical advice in sufficient time to complete and submit your Full Application before the published call closure date.

The Managing Authority reserves the right to reject applications which are incomplete or not submitted in a timely and compliant way.

Contact details

If you have any questions about the Call Specification or ESF Online Full Application Guidance, please contact esf.2014-2020@dwp.gov.uk. This address should not be used to request technical support.

Published 9 July 2019
Last updated 10 October 2019 + show all updates
  1. D2N2 - Technical Construction Skills for Unemployed People (OC08S19P1459) project call is now closed.

  2. First published.