People and Skills

UK Shared Prosperity Fund - People and Skills

Through the People and Skills UKSPF investment priority, places can use their funding to help reduce the barriers some people face to employment and support them to move towards employment and education. Places can also target funding into skills for local areas to support employment and local growth.

Derby City Council are seeking to focus on two primary elements for our People and Skills investment priority:

• Employment support for economically inactive people.
• Funding Skills provision - to provide people with the skills needed to progress in life and work.

Following the conclusion of our March 2023 Open Call we supported the following projects to deliver their programmes within the period of 4 April 2023 to 31 March 2024:

• YMCA Derbyshire – Thriving Futures
• Artcore Partnership – Empowerment for Employment
• The Prince’s Trust – Derby Steps to Success

For our 2024-25 UKSPF funding allocation we have considered UKSPF and Derby City Council priorities and following an internal assessment and approval process we are pleased to confirm that the following projects are currently live and in delivery up until 31 March 2025:

• Derby City Council - Employment and Skills Hub
• YMCA Derbyshire – Thriving Futures
• Artcore and DBHCA – Career Compass

Derby City Council - Employment and Skills Hub

Derby City Council, as part of the Derby Promise has launched a Derby Employment and Skills Hub to help you gain the confidence, support, and skills to move into employment.

The Hub is based at the Council House and is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

To be directed to The Hub, please ask at the Council House reception.
 
The Hub provides the following support:

121 careers advice and employment support

If you are unsure about what type of work would suit your skillset and experience, are unsure about your next step into employment or would like some general employability support (with a CV, interview or application form), then come along and talk to one of our qualified careers advisors or book yourself in for an appointment.

For more information, visit our Careers advice for adults page.

Specialist employability support and advice

This is available to you if you are 16-25 with a maintained educational health and care plan (ECHP) or are a care leaver. This specialist support provides more intensive employability support including access to funding and Derby City Council work experience and job opportunities, as per your job goals. This service is provided by experienced professionals who understand the best routes to support you into employment. 

Training in2 Employment Programmes

We find vacancies and create training programmes with employers. If you complete these training programmes you will be guaranteed an interview with an employer. The training programmes also offer the opportunity for you to gain a vocational license such as SIA License (required for security work), CSCS Card (required for construction) or Food Hygiene (often required for catering and hospitality jobs). Our Training in2 Employment Programmes are incredibly successful in supporting people into work.

For more information, visit our Training in2 Employment page.

Introduction to Employers

We work with a range of employers and can offer you opportunities to meet with them to discuss their job opportunities. This can be through our Derby Jobs recruitment fairs, Derby Jobs live events, through the DWPs Employer Zone (also based at the Council House) or by specially organised employer introductions.

For more information, email employmentandskills@derby.gov.uk.

Funding for Employment

All the support we provide is at no cost, be that our training, our events or to gain a vocational license. We also provide funding to remove any barrier into employment, be that travel, clothing, alternative skills development or even a haircut. Once you register for support and you are ready for work, we will work with you, to ensure there is no cost barrier to move into employment.

Subscription onto our Derby Jobs Weekly newsletter

Our newsletter pulls together all employment-related activity together into once place, including key job opportunities and emails this to you on a weekly basis.

Find out more and subscribe on our Derby Jobs Weekly page.

For further questions, please email employmentandskills@derby.gov.uk.

YMCA Derbyshire – Thriving Futures

This year’s project continues to support participants in their employment journey with some broader activity included which will work with individuals to build life skills, employability skills, and awareness of skill needs and jobs in the Derby area.

There are three strands to delivery with the first two being skills-based work focusing on childcare and construction / green skills, supported by employer partners. The 3rd strand works across the city to engage with hardest to reach client groups to provide employability support, link with hubs and refer into other suitable provision.

The project will ensure that those furthest from the employment market are encouraged to access the central employability hub at Derby City Council or access our skills-based programmes. They will be working across the city with referrals from key providers and hubs to focus on wards with high levels of deprivation and high levels of economically inactive people:

• Alvaston / Crewton ward - YMCA Derbyshire Campus, London Road with linked activity in our Green Hub at Wilmorton Community Gardens – Focused on individuals who are; economically inactive, care leavers, refugees, and migrants, those at risk of homelessness.
• Derwent ward - Derwent Stepping Stones Nursery / Training Centre, St Marks Road – Focused on economically inactive women. Working in collaboration with Derwent Stepping Stones Charity with a focus on women returning into Early years and health and social care jobs. Also focus on 16 to 19-year-olds in collaboration with Key College.
• Abbey ward – Resilience hub Parcel Terrace site - Focused on individuals who are; economically inactive, care leavers, refugees, and migrants, those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Their Thriving Skills Bootcamps will run throughout year 3.

Each course will run for 3 days per week with a SWAP style approach and each course will have four core elements.

• skills, knowledge, and behaviours co delivered with employer partners and including visit to employer premises.
• vocational licenses critical for the delivery area
• placement / volunteering opportunities
• CV and interview skills including a guaranteed interview with an employer
• ongoing to end of the programme – further support as needed.

To learn more about the support on offer and how to access, please email the YMCA Project Manager at jenni.hewkin@ymcaderbyshire.org.uk.

Artcore and DBHCA – Career Compass

This partnership project provides a range of creative and accessible activities targeted at communities living in the most disadvantaged areas of Derby to support individual skills development and employability to enable them to progress in life and work. The main strands of the programme are:

1. Bespoke Creative Art and Craft workshops, skills for life, wellbeing, employability and self-employability in the creative industries - Artcore

Workshops will be provided with professional artists, makers and crafters to enable participants, including women, new communities and people experiencing mental health issues, to explore different creative mediums and learn the skills and techniques to create their own products and develop their basic skills as part of a journey towards employment or self-employment in the creative arts.

Access to specialist bespoke business development support will be available with focused tutorial sessions and mentorship from industry professionals to help participants to develop their understanding and skills in setting up their own business including finances, marketing and retailing, complemented by access to Artcore studio spaces, retail opportunities and volunteer work experience.

There are also opportunities to develop CV writing, job application, interview skills will help participants to increase their confidence and gain experience for future employment.

To learn more about the support on offer and how to access, email phoebe@artcoreuk.com.

2. Basic skills for life and employability in the UK - Delivered by DBHCA 

Employment focussed workshops and activities, along with one-to-one bespoke support will be targeted at Refugees and those with settled ILR (not limited to), to gain basic skills and knowledge to enable them to integrate and successfully move into training and employment, including English language, maths and ICT skills.

Practical skills development learning including Community Interpreting Courses, Food Hygiene and Driving Theory will help people to be ready for employment in the UK alongside job search, CV writing, online applications and interview confidence building activities to support them to access volunteering opportunities to gain experience and secure paid jobs.

To learn more about the support on offer, email alisha.dbhca@hotmail.com.