This project is spearheaded by Medway Council, together with Church in Society and a number of local neighbourhood community partnerships.

The total funding for this significant flagship project stands at £751,000, with the majority (£579,000) from SEEDA, alongside contributions from the European Union's Interreg IIIA programme (£50,000), Church In Society (£22,000) and Medway Council (£100,000) which will all benefit disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Medway.

Project REIGNITE (Realising Economic Inclusion of Existing Disadvantaged Communities Through Employment Support Measures) aims to assist people aged 16 years or more who are economically inactive, unemployed and/or on low incomes. The five target neighbourhood areas across Medway are:

• All Saints, Chatham

• Melville and Brompton

• Brook Lines

• Twydall

• Strood

Reignite has also forged strong links with both statutory and non-statutory agencies across Medway to address the training and employment needs of people who are the most disadvantaged by unemployment.

Among the partners involved in the project are:

• Jobcentre Plus (Chatham);
• Medway Adult Learning Service;
• Prime Advantage;
• University of Kent at Medway;
• NACRO (www.nacro.org.uk);
• Housing associations;
• CVS Medway (www.cvsmedway.org.uk) and its North Kent Training Service
• Medway Citizens Advice Bureau;
• Robert Hawkwood Limited;
• Church in Society (www.churchinsociety.org) - First Byte and Next Byte courses;
• North Kent Construction Skills (www.nokcs.co.uk).

Progress

• Up to 648 people across Medway have benefited from information advice and guidance (IAG) offered on employment, skills training and voluntary service opportunities within 24 months.
• Some of the areas of support given to beneficiaries include:
  
  
  • childcare training,
  • construction skills development,
  • security industry accreditation,
  • provision of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) courses.
• Neighbourhood Managers across the project area have undertaken Level III OCN accredited training to become certified Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) deliverers, with one manager having already attained Level IV accreditation.