Hounslow ESF Borough Employment Programme

Hounslow                                   

We are pleased to launch the 2014-2020 ESF Borough Employment Programme, which is co-financed by the London Borough of Hounslow and the European Social Fund.

Hounslow Council is working with London Councils and the London Economic Action Partnership to fund a Borough Employment project over 17 months to begin in January 2019.  The total funding available for the project is £175,400.

The focus of this funding opportunity will be to support out-of-work Hounslow residents aged 25 and over who are either long term unemployed or economically inactive to move towards securing employment opportunities with local businesses in Hounslow’s Digital, Media, Tech and Creative sectors either through obtaining relevant training/qualifications or direct employment.

There are a number of barriers and issues that are experienced by Hounslow residents:

  • Hounslow has a significant demand for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. In a number of cases migrants who move to the borough are highly-skilled but because of the language barrier they find themselves in low-paid employment which raises questions about productivity.
  • Hounslow experiences a substantial churn in the composition of its population due to migration changes, and this churn is particularly concentrated on the central part of the borough. Hounslow is a very diverse borough in terms of its population and its geography (the West of borough is in close proximity to Heathrow and the East of the borough borders Acton and Hammersmith).
  • A significant number of high value and high paid jobs within the borough are carried out by people who live outside the borough and not Hounslow residents and in particular this is case for the Digital, Media, Tech and Creative sectors. The majority of Hounslow residents find themselves in low-paid employment within the borough.

A successful project would aim to deliver against the output and results set out in this project specification. The project should:

  • improve the employability and skills of long term unemployed and economically inactive Hounslow residents
  • move residents closer to securing opportunities within the local Digital, Media, Tech and Creative sectors
  • result in building a ‘local talent pipeline’
  • focus on skills and roles that local employers identify as a priority, and where there is expected to be ongoing demand, to maximise chances of sustainable employment for participants
  • support the boroughs Skills and Employment Strategy
  • support the Mayors Skills for Londoners strategy to improve digital skills.

Providers must have:

  • experience of delivering innovative employment support in Hounslow, or similar local authority areas
  • an excellent understanding of key service provision in the borough - the provider must consider how they will establish links with suitable teams, and how this project will contribute and complement existing borough services
  • a good understanding of the Council’s and Jobcentre Plus’ employment initiatives and its outcomes
  • excellent links with employers
  • familiarity with and a willingness to assist in delivering the Council’s key strategic objectives and performance indicators around employment
  • access to premises to deliver the service, with the flexibility of being able to deliver from suitable co-locations.

How to apply

London Councils has published an Application Prospectus which:

  • provides detailed information on Hounslow ESF Community Grants Programme requirements
  • explains the scope of the programme
  • details eligibility guidelines
  • advises on the application process
  • outlines our procedures for making award decisions.

All application and guidance documents are available to download from the right hand side of the webpage under related documents, and includes:

  • Application Prospectus
  • Application form
  • London Councils ESF Eligibility Guidance
  • London Councils ESF Eligible Expenditure Guidance

Workshop

London Councils will be running a workshop to outline the funding priorities, programme eligibility and application process for the Hounslow ESF Community Grant Programme. The workshop will take place on Wednesday 3 October 2018 from 10.00am till 12.30pm at:

London Borough of Hounslow
Civic Centre, 
Lampton Road Hounslow 
TW3 4DN 

Please click HERE if you would like to book a place to attend the workshop.

Queries and FAQ’s

Should you have any queries and/or require further information on the Hounslow ESF Community Grants Programme, please contact the London Councils Employment and Inclusion Team at funding@londoncouncils.gov.uk.