Selnet Partnership Opportunity: Employability Skills Provision for Building Better Opportunities - Age of Opportunity Project (East Lancashire) Phase 3

Selnet Ltd is the Social Enterprise Network for Lancashire and for over 15 years Selnet has supported social enterprises across Lancashire. In 2015/16 the organisation led a 12-month process to develop a Lancashire-wide partnership to provide specialist employability and skills support to unemployed people aged 50 and over. This project is known as Age of Opportunity and is part of the Building Better Opportunities programme.

Building Better Opportunities (BBO) is a national programme funded by The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) to invest in local projects tackling the root causes of poverty, promoting social inclusion and driving local jobs and growth.

The Age of Opportunity project consists of approximately 13 diverse delivery partners from the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sectors, coming together to deliver specialist support for key groups across Lancashire. Selnet is the lead partner and does not undertake any delivery or direct support to participants. Age of Opportunity has been operational since August 2016 and has recently received additional investment extending project delivery to the end of 2022.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced organisations to provide employability skills support to Age of Opportunity participants from specified Boroughs within Lancashire (Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale). Proposals are sought from organisations that can demonstrate competence in delivering relevant support to people aged over 50 with multiple and complex barriers into employment, training or education. The delivery partner will be expected to carry out a diagnostic assessment with potential participants to determine eligibility, suitability and need. This will be followed by a comprehensive action plan to agree a course of action for the eligible participant, which will improve their lives and ultimately take them closer to work or learning. The delivery partner will be the key contact and support provider for the participant and will also introduce the participant to a variety of specialist services should they be needed, some of which will be other BBO funded services. These specialist services may include, financial capability support, digital skills, volunteering, business start-up support, and emotional wellbeing help.

Please visit the Proactis supplier portal (link below) to register an interest and to access the full specification and suite of tender documents.