A partnership of five Somerset organisations has secured a Big Lottery Fund grant to help Somerset’s most socially excluded communities return to employment, education and training.
The new programme, called ‘Positive People’, will help over 1,000 individuals who are out of work to build their skills, confidence and motivation. This will include people with disabilities, mental health issues, ex-offenders, homeless people and people over fifty. Support for individuals will include basic literacy and numeracy skills, help to master digital technology and preparation for work, including job search.
The programme aims to benefit local communities by reducing poverty and anti-social behaviour. It will also contribute to the growth of the local economy, with employers having access to a pool of people with the relevant skills to meet their needs.
Community Council for Somerset (CCS) and Pluss will begin to deliver the £4 million programme in early 2017 for the next three years. The core partners are Pluss, Abilities, Inspired to Achieve, Cosmic and Community Council for Somerset. There are also 41 additional partners across Somerset.
Positive People has been co-designed over the past six months by a range of stakeholders including representatives from local communities, Somerset County and District Councils and the Heart of the South West LEP.
Positive People (part of the Building Better Oppor-tunities programme) is a new project jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund.