Decision

Decision to undertake separate awards to
successful applicants in Round Five of the UK Shared
Prosperity/Rural Prosperity Fund Programme and Round One of the UK
Shared Prosperity Fund Programme for People & Skills.
Specifically including the following projects:

Steadfast Training Ltd - £46,856
Proposed project called Connect2Grow will provide an integrated
skills and employment service to residents across Boston. The
project aims to help individuals with health-related and other
barriers to employment and skills training, consisting of a 1-2-1
In-Depth Assessment followed by personalised health and
wellbeing-focused coaching and mentoring delivered by a Personal
Advisor or a Community Connector. This project directly and
specifically addresses a full range of UKSPF/RPF outcomes,
particularly economic inactivity, unemployment and upskilling the
local workforce.

SELCP (Boston Borough Council) – Community Based Digital
Support – £9,940
The project will be delivered in partnership with SELCP’s
Healthy Living and Communities teams at existing drop-ins and
community hubs across all three Districts. Using local venues will
enable people without transport or public transport to attend, the
project will:
-Deliver community-based digital inclusion sessions hosted by
established community hubs.
-Use a mix of online learning platforms and 1:1 tailored support
unique to the learner.
-Assist residents to understand, access and navigate online
services including but not limited to communication, health,
benefits, grants, job applications, Council services.
-Help residents to access and use HMRC online services, including
digital only Government services such as Self-Assessment, tax
accounts and VAT.
-Ensure all participants are ‘scam aware’ so they have
the confidence to get online safely.
-Offer signposting / referrals to other organisations where
appropriate. For example, Carer’s First, Citizens
Advice.
- Offer training and support for volunteers to become Digital
Champions; with on-going support beyond the end of the project at
community venues.

PAB Languages – Global Gateway: Transforming Local Talents
into Global Entrepreneurs’ - £8,343
This project aims to enhance digital and cross-cultural
communication skills among local businesses and individuals in
Boston, supporting management within local businesses to gain new
skills that will support them in engaging with export and
international markets.
TEC Partnership – Future Skills Programme -
£11,894
This project will deliver digital training courses to x100
unemployed/inactive learner beneficiaries across the Partnership.
This innovative programme, incorporating AI (artificial
intelligence) technology for example, will result in a multitude of
positive outcomes including progression in education and training,
employment, improved life skills, confidence, and motivation for
labour market participation.

Heritage Lincolnshire - Delivering Heritage Skills in South and
East Lincolnshire - £18,203
This project seeks to give residents skills and experience of
traditional craft and building trades, with a view to supporting
those residents to pursue a career in the heritage construction
sector via a programme of ‘taster’ sessions’ and
effective careers information, advice and guidance to support them
in accessing provision. This will include the recruitment of a
specialist heritage skills programme lead for South and East
Lincolnshire with a mandate to develop a long-term action plan for
the recovery.

University of Lincoln – NCFM - Higher Level Engineering
Skills for South Lincolnshire’s Key Sectors
-£17,169
This project aims to work with local employers to build engagement,
shape provision, and strengthen local access to specialist higher
level training in food and manufacturing engineering courses at the
NCFM (NQF Levels 2-7). There will be a separate Programme focussed
on supporting school-age learners and giving them experiences of
the food and engineering sectors in Boston and South Holland.

As part of HMG’s Levelling Up Agenda and in line with the
commitments made by Boston Borough 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 Communities and Place, People and Skills and
Supporting Local Businesses Themes 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.