Social regeneration and European affairs

This programme ran until March 2008 and was targeted at the least prosperous wards and neighbourhoods in Medway. The South East Regional Economic Strategy indicated that the region is characterised by pockets of localised deprivation and significant disparities in income.

The programme supported 18 projects in Medway from September 2006 and aimed to support up to 25 projects by March 2008, representing £220,000 invested in skills development. In Medway, the SCORE programme delivered up to 25 recognised vocational training courses for an estimated 500 trainees to gain relevant qualifications, to increase the employability of residents in the targeted deprived neighbourhoods and help them become better placed to enter the job market.

The programme was funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Medway Council. Additional support was been provided by:

• Medway CVS (Council for Voluntary Services);
• North West Kent CVS;
• Swale CVS.

The programme helped voluntary and community groups which, because they received most of the grant money in advance, were not required to match the funding they got. There was not much red tape to manage, ensuring that groups received the support they needed to co-ordinate and deliver training programmes that directly improved the employability of the residents in the targeted council wards. It encouraged take-up from the groups that are hardest to reach: people who would not normally enrol on courses in traditional educational venues.

The community groups gain experience of financial management, project management and administering a public grant, which in turn enables them to administer public funds and to apply for future funding with the support of the SCORE Project Officer and Medway Council's Corporate Funding Unit.

Progress

• Up to 25 recognised training courses delivered in Medway, equivalent to 20 to 25 grants awarded to voluntary and community organisations.
• Up to 500 trainees supported from deprived neighbourhoods in Medway.
• Up to 500 qualifications delivered, 75 per cent of which are at National Vocational Qualification(NVQ) level 1 or 2 (or equivalent) the remainder being either Entry Level Basic Skills courses or NVQ level 3 (or equivalent).

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