CLOSED: The COVID-19 youth employment programme in D2N2 (OC08S21P1818)

Call to run a project to improve progression into the labour market for young people aged 16 to 24 who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through innovative and vocationally based skills activity leading to employment, including apprenticeships and traineeships, or further training and education opportunities.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and Rural Payments Agency
Published
22 February 2021
Last updated
11 May 2021 — See all updates
Fund state:
Closed
Type:
Access to employment
Location:
East Midlands
Funding source:
European Social Fund
Closing date:
10 May 2021

This call is now closed. Please do not submit an application against this call. Information provided below is for reference purposes only.

Details

  • Track, engage, assess, support and monitor young people who are NEET (e.g., through intensive, innovative, holistic and tailored outreach work) so they can benefit from other COVID-19 youth programmes on offer such as Kick Start, apprenticeships and traineeships etc.

  • Identify the scale of the potential impact of COVID-19 on young people including NEETs and the impact of COVID 19 on their immediate careers and education choices.

  • Identify mechanisms to give confidence to businesses to continue to invest in offering employment opportunities and support to young people.

  • Harness and develop remote learning innovations, develop online learning innovations, ensure individuals have digital skills and digital connectivity, ensure participants can access a greater range of employment opportunities wherever they live.

  • Supporting participants to engage with modern online job searching and applications, updating and tailoring CV’s to job applications, uploading CV’s online, managing a Universal Credit account online, keeping safe online.

  • Developing labour market information to identify local job opportunities, growth sectors recruiting, employers’ skills needs and up skilling/training opportunities.

  • Support unemployed / redundant young people to develop careers and employability skills to understand and become more competitive in the post COVID-19 labour market.

  • Develop and deliver specific careers advice and employment and skills support for young women, to help them make informed career choices and enter appropriate employment opportunities in the post COVID 19 labour market.

  • Support young people who have higher skills including graduates by creating purposeful placements appropriate to their skills levels which lead to high level jobs to support personal and business growth and innovation.

  • Provide support for start-ups for unemployed and redundant young people including those with higher level skills such as graduates.

  • Broker opportunities with local employers to employ young people who are NEET e.g., to support them to access traineeships, apprenticeships, work experience and supported internships for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Also offer support for employers to take on young people NEET.

  • Foster an aspirational and enterprising culture amongst young people by supporting them to acquire sector specific skills (basic, intermediate, and technical) needed by employers.

  • Increase participation in traineeships and apprenticeships by preparing young people to fully take advantage of these employer led opportunities.

  • Provide support and a range of soft skills to disadvantaged young people to overcome the barriers to engagement, such as lack of childcare, transport, confidence building, motivation, and health issues.

  • Development and delivery of innovative and employer led supported internships for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities giving them opportunities to gain experience in the workplace.

  • Job coaching and wraparound support where appropriate.

  • Provide comprehensive careers guidance and current labour market information to ensure young people can explore all appropriate labour market options.

  • Develop employability skills, workplace literacy, numeracy and digital skills.

  • Work with DWP, NCS, FE colleges and independent training providers to encourage them to develop appropriate employment related traineeships, apprenticeships and supported internship programmes.

  • Broker opportunities including support for employers to give them the understanding and skills to recruit and employ young people, offer work placements, traineeships, apprenticeships, supported internships and emerging T-levels.

  • Support, both practical and financial, for young people’s travel needs particularly those living in rural areas.

  • Develop effective youth engagement models ensuring young people have a voice in their development and opportunities.

  • Help those young people who are unemployed due to the pandemic whose mental health has been impacted and who require additional support to get them back into employment or further training.

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: 10 May 2021

Completion date

Projects must be financially completed (i.e. have a proposed Financial Completion Date) no later than 31st December 2023; however, the Managing Authority reserves the right to vary the maximum duration in exceptional circumstances.

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.

Please note: the ECLAIMS IT System can only be access from within the UK.

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 22 February 2021
Last updated 11 May 2021 + show all updates

  1. The COVID-19 youth employment programme in D2N2 (OC08S21P1818) project call is now closed.

  2. First published.

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