Employability

Highland employability pipeline

Third sector challenge fund

We would like to invite Challenge Fund applications from organisations within the third sector who can deliver a package of Specialist Employability Support Services. These services are designed to assist and enable unemployed people to progress along the Strategic Skills Pipeline.

As these services include multiple stages, it is expected that the individuals accessing these services will need longer term support as they move into sustainable employment. If your organisation is not looking to deliver multi stage provision itself, it will need to enter into agreements with other organisations to ensure individuals are able to access the multi stage support they need.

Supported through the European Social Fund (ESF), the Council is running a Challenge Fund Grant Scheme. As part of this scheme, successful providers are required to provide their own match funding to receive the European Funds. Intervention rates of up to 70 per cent of ESF are available.

The closing date for Challenge Fund applications is 24 January 2020.

If successful, service delivery will start 1 April 2020 at the earliest, and finish by 31 December 2022.

In the coming months, we will be setting out our plan to provide funding for short-term employment support. For this, organisations will not need to match funding.