Lottery grants boost new year employment prospects

9 Jan 2015 01:06 PM

Local employment initiatives boosting the skills and confidence of some of most vulnerable out of work people are amongst the latest grants announced today by the Big Lottery Fund. 

They are among 11 projects sharing in £5,717,872 from the Fund’s Investing in Communities programme.

In Edinburgh an award of £994,550 will enable IntoWork to continue and expand the range of supported employment services they offer to people with a range of disabilities from autism to acquired brain injury.  Specially trained staff will provide a range of tailored support to each client including vocational profiling to matching them with potential employers.  Over the next three years the project will help over 1300 people in Edinburgh and the Lothians like 34 year old Tom Stutcliffe.

Tom has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair to get about. He graduated from Edinburgh University in 2005 and has not been in full-time employment since then. Thanks to IntoWork Tom is currently in a paid internship role at Heriot Watt University, working 18 hours per week and gaining invaluable work experience. He said, “For me the biggest single element was that I was assigned to one person who was my point of contact throughout.  I was able to go through the whole experience with them and know that they were there for me whenever I needed help.  I think it’s especially vital that people, who are vulnerable, for any reason, receive specialised support to help them to get into the job market.  It’s support that organisations like IntoWork are able to provide and that’s why this funding is so important.” 

David Bain, Client Services Manager, added, “This is a fantastic award and will make a huge difference to the disabled people we work with in Edinburgh and the Lothians.  Our service users have a wide range of disabilities that makes access to employment through so called, normal routes’ very challenging.  With this funding, Intowork will be able to expand our specialist support to hundreds of additional jobseekers by helping them into sustainable and rewarding jobs.

Inverclyde Association for Mental Health will use its £999,358 award to create a new horticultural training and community facility from which it will develop the employability support it provides for people with mental health issues. The organisation currently delivers its services from two different locations which are some distance apart. Today’s award will mean they will be able to buy and refurbish a vacant site in Broomhill near Greenock where the new facility will be based.

Manager, Margaret Tait, said: “We are absolutely delighted that our application for funding from the Big Lottery Fund has been successful.  People with mental health issues quite often experience stigma and discrimination and we are wholly committed to enabling people who face multiple barriers in their life the opportunity to realise their potential. Thanks to this award from the Big Lottery Fund we can move forward with the development of our new facility where we will be able to offer a diverse range of opportunities not only to people experiencing Mental Health issues, but to the wider community in the Broomhill area.”  

Announcing today’s funding, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “Today’s funding will support a number of employment initiatives benefitting some of the most vulnerable people who are out of work.  For some, this will be their first job and our funding will help provide support and guidance as they make this significant transition into employment. For others, it will be an opportunity to overcome barriers which, to date, have prevented them from engaging with job seeking services.”

Other projects receiving funding from Investing in Communities today are:-

The National Autistic Society 
£273,185
The project will give young people between 16 and 25 the skills to form positive relationships and make successful transitions into employment, training or further

Grampian Housing Association Limited          
£365,816
The organisation will extend its services offering support and practical advice to tenants in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray experiencing mental health issues of substance abuse. 

Station House Media Unit                                                     
£896,326
The project will work with young people aged 16 to 30 at the risk of re-offending to give them a range of skills that will help improve opportunities for employability and volunteering

Carers Forum Stirling District Area                                    
£442,614
The organisation will be able to develop their existing services to support up to 417 young carers throughout the Stirling area.   

Home-Start Orkney                                                                
£285,844
The project will support vulnerable, isolated families on the Orkney Islands who have a child under five by providing a home visiting service

Utheo Limited                                                                        
£337,934
The project will provide a volunteer befriending service aimed at 250 older people who are disabled and are socially isolated.  

Headway Ayrshire                                                                  
£225,338
The project will provide a support service for people in Ayrshire who have an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and their families.  Support workers will be able to provide a range of information and practical support to the whole family providing a range of practical support.

Badenoch and Strathspay Community Transport Company
£485,047
The organisation will be able to expand their range of services to support up to 100 isolated older people in the community including a community car scheme and shopping project.

Parent Network Scotland
£411,860
The organisation will run a project to support vulnerable parents in six local authority areas by delivering parent courses designed to build confidence and resilience amongst participants.

loWe are also announcing over £154,303 of grants to 16 projects, across Scotland, from Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s Investing in Ideas programme. Details of those grants will be available on our website http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/news-and-events/.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office:       0141 242 1451

Website:                                             www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Twitter:                                              @BIGScotland #biglf

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Notes to editors