Selnet Partnership Opportunity: Employability Skills Provision for Building Better Opportunities - Age of Opportunity Project Phase 3 (ESF / NLCF funded)

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.

Over the lifetime of the project, over 2300 disadvantaged people will benefit from support tailored to their individual needs and interests to overcome complex barriers and move towards work and training. This project aims to engage with older people who live in the Lancashire LEP area and have low or no skills, thereby preventing them from engaging with training and employment opportunities. It will support them in moving towards and into employment, training and education.

Selnet is looking to select 2 suitably qualified and experienced organisations to provide employability skills support to Age of Opportunity participants from within Lancashire. Preferred bidder status will be awarded to the 2 organisations offering the most economically advantageous tenders. Proposals are sought from organisations that can demonstrate competence in engaging with and delivering relevant support to people aged 50 and over with multiple and complex barriers into employment, training or education.

Full details regarding this contract and the tender process can be found by registering an interest in this opportunity on the Proactis supplier portal (link provided on this page).