Three charities supporting local people to gain employment skills through work placements received a much-needed financial boost this month from a new fund aiming to improve skills and training in communities across the UK.
Hub Weston, Well Grounded and The Inclusionists received grants totalling £17,000 from the Local Community Skills Fund.
The pilot scheme, launched by the City & Guilds Foundation earlier this year, has now awarded grants to twenty charities, social enterprises and training providers across the UK.
Two of the charities, Hub Weston Futures and Well Grounded, support young and marginalized people into local employment in hospitality roles in the South West, while The Inclusionists received funding for its STEP Ahead project, which empowers neurodiverse youth in the North East with skills development, work placements, and employment pathways in the hospitality sector.
Through this support, the Fund aims to positively impact communities where access to training and development are limited.
The Local Community Skills Fund complements established City & Guilds grant giving schemes, including dedicated funding streams for frontline charities supporting individuals with convictions and displaced people to gain skills and find meaningful employment, together with a longstanding bursary scheme to help disadvantaged individuals gain the skills society needs.
City & Guilds’ latest Impact Report revealed that £15.3 billion in social and economic returns was contributed to society in the UK via access to skills through its courses in the period 2023-24.
Jemma Coles, Director of Operations, Hub Weston CIC, said:
“Thanks to the City & Guilds Foundation, our Hospitality Futures project will transform lives by equipping local people with essential skills and industry-recognised qualifications, creating sustainable career paths within Weston-super-Mare’s vibrant hospitality sector.”
Faiza Khan MBE, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs & Foundation, City & Guilds, said:
“At City & Guilds, we know that focusing on local skills challenges can have a huge impact on living standards and prospects in communities. I’m delighted that we are supporting these organisations, which will open doors for people across the UK facing barriers to gaining skills or career options, and look forward to discovering more about how these innovative projects have helped change lives.”