Council cash for community groups to boost job chances

More than £200,000 is available now for community groups to help unemployed people back towards work – and more funds are on the way.

Worcestershire County Council is urging Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) groups to bid for a slice of the latest Worcestershire Connections cash by submitting an expression of interest by Monday, March 8.

Groups that submit a suitable expression of interest will be invited to prepare a formal application by Monday, April 19.

It's the second round of funding from a pot of £880,000 that the council secured from Advantage West Midlands. The council was the first in the West Midlands region to make a successful bid. VCS groups can apply for a share of the £225,000 that's available now to deliver projects at ground level for people furthest from employment in the most deprived areas of the county.

In particular, projects should focus on people receiving incapacity benefits, lone parents and ex-offenders. Projects should be designed to help people gain work skills, personal skills, literacy, numeracy and other skills that assist them to find employment. In total, the council wants to help 400 people by March 2013.

Further rounds of funding will follow. Full details of the current round will be available from Tuesday, February 16 on the Worcestershire County Council website at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/voluntary

Councillor Simon Geraghty, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet Member for Planning, Economy & Performance, said: "I encourage all VCS groups who can help us to deliver suitable projects to get in touch with us. We know that many people are struggling to join the workforce, and the effects of the national recession have made matters much worse, so we're determined to make a difference for local people. We worked very hard to secure these funds and we want to work with the county's excellent VCS groups to deliver the best results possible."