Decision

Decision to undertake separate awards to successful applicants
in Round Two of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme for People
& Skills (with the Round One and Two processes totalling
£1.8m across the SELCP Partnership area). Specifically
including the following projects in Boston Borough:
 

Boston College – Career Advance
(£39,585)
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.
 

Boston Borough Council (SELCP) – The
Lincolnshire Academy (£9,957)
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. 
 

Boston United Community Foundation – Boston
United Education & Training Hub (£40,981)

The Boston United Education & Training Hub is a
1-year project helps people overcome a range of barriers by using
the power of football and the local brand of Boston United to
create pathways into education, training, volunteering, and
employment.  The project’s
objectives are:

·      
To provide various football themed activities that
will engage with a wide variety of people.

·      
To provide opportunities to allow people to gain
work placements and volunteering experience.

·      
To improve people’s soft skills to help them
re-engage in employment, education or
training.

·      
To provide routes into Further & Higher
Education

·      
For people to improve their mental health,
well-being, self-esteem and
confidence.

·      
To increase the opportunity for people to access
vocational sporting qualifications to support the local
community.

 

University of Lincoln – Dynamic Growth
(£20,853)
This
project will focus on upskilling management within local visitor
economy businesses, with a particular focus on small VE businesses
(SMEs) and supporting them to grow and innovate. A Dynamic Growth
(DG) Course will be offered, supporting those in the sector through
micro-credentials (accredited, university level qualifications
which can contribute towards an MBA in Leadership), peer-to-peer
learning in the Visitor Economy sector and working through
assignments that will be specific to the development of their own
business. Delivery will include a minimum of 2 days on-site
delivery at hubs close to the business (accounting for seasonality
in the VE sector). This shall be a small pilot project to test if
this model can work in raising productivity within our local
businesses and the skills base of our local workforce.
 

LCVS – SELCP Community Transport
(£7,315) (Communities and Place Underspend)

This is utilising an existing in-year underspend
that has unexpectedly arisen within the UKSPF Communities and place
strand to fund an extension of the Community Transport
co-ordination project already operating in East Lindsey and South
Holland, ensuring that stakeholders in Boston can now access this
service too (this is distinct and separate to the Boston Community
Transport proposal funded in Round One).
 

 
It must be
noted: These projects sit separate to the
ringfenced funding available to village halls, parish councils and
community spaces (administered by LCF), the fourth round of which
shall be determined in April 2024. These projects are also separate
to the monies ringfenced for grants to businesses (Grants 4 Growth
II), which are now being actively disbursed by the relevant service
area within the Council.