A new initiative Enterprising People part of Building Better Opportunities was launched today at MK Foundation in Milton Keynes. The programme brings together local experts with to support people furthest away from work to move them towards employment and self-employment.

A campaign to introduce 500 apprentices into the workplace across Suffolk in 100 days has been joined by a Woodbridge based charity who are training and developing the young leaders of tomorrow.

Just42 is the only open access youth provider in 200 square miles of rural Suffolk and in 2015 came into contact with about 2500 different children and young people. Through their work they build relationships with children and young people over a number of years through different projects. In this way they build confidence, self-esteem, build community, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and improve employability.

The Consultancy Home Counties (TCHC) is a leading training provider with a number of government contracts to support individuals and businesses in the East of England. It is helping small charities in the region to address local skills shortages and gaps in employment by offering them capacity building grants.

This grant has been established to enable local third sector organisations to deliver employability skills training to people in the area who are most in need.

Disadvantaged learners in the East of England will be helped to get back into the workplace thanks to a £2.4million fund, with grants to be co-ordinated by workforce development organisation TCHC.

TCHC has been re-awarded the contract to be the grant co-ordinating body in the East of England for ESF Community Grants, with the service to be delivered until July 2015. Small third sector organisations can apply for up to £15,000 to manage a project for learners, with the grants co-funded by the Skills Funding Agency.

This programme received funding through our ESF funded Community Grants Programme.

Cambridgeshire-based not-for-profit organisation, the K9 Project, is running a brand new programme designed to get people who are unemployed back on their career path, whether that is a new job, training, or volunteering. The secret weapon is dogs.