Funded by
SHEFFIELD CITY REGION
Invitation to Express Interest in the
Talent Match
ENTERPRISING COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME
New Commissioning Opportunity for Voluntary, Community and
Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations!!
ENTERPRISING COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME
The Sheffield City Region Talent Match Partnership is looking to commission a small
number of community-based providers across the region to deliver innovative
projects that build entrepreneurial skills, know-how and appetite amongst
disadvantaged young people, aged 18-24, who are Not in Education, Employment or
Training (NEET).
On behalf of the Talent Match Partnership, Groundwork in South Yorkshire is
managing the Enterprising Communities Programme, which will distribute small
contract awards to eligible organisations across the city region (Barnsley, Bassetlaw,
Bolsover, Chesterfield, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire, Rotherham and Sheffield).
Awards will be of a one-off nature and will range from £5,000 to £10,000.
We are therefore inviting Expressions of Interest from suitable organisations/groups.
The deadline for submission is 4 pm Friday 20 February 2015.
Completed Expression of Interest forms should be e-mailed to Mandy Jeffrey at
Groundwork: Mandy.Jeffrey@groundwork.org.uk
Background to the Sheffield City Region Talent Match Scheme
The Talent Match Programme is a long-term (January 2014 to September 2018)
initiative designed to support 18-24 year old young adults Not in Education,
Employment or Training (NEET), who are facing the greatest barriers to
employment, to become job/self-employment ready, and then find work or set up in
business. In the Sheffield City Region it has been identified that young people with
the greatest barriers are:
 Young people with mild to moderate learning difficulties
 Lone parents before they sign onto JSA
 Young people with mental health issues
 Homeless young people
 Care leavers
As well as enabling NEET young people to get into the labour market the Talent
Match partners are keen to open up self-employment and enterprise as a potential
route for young people. To this end, we have 2 Enterprise Coaches who can provide
specialist enterprise support to Talent Match beneficiaries, alongside a wider
programme of enterprise support activities, such as a residential-based Enterprise
Awareness Week, which is a fun, interactive experience designed to build the skills
and appetite for enterprise amongst the participating young people.
Our target in Sheffield City Region is for 600 young people to benefit from enterprise
awareness-raising and support over the lifetime of the scheme.
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Sheffield City Region Talent Match Enterprising Communities Programme:
Guidance Notes
 Introduction to ECP
The Enterprise Communities Programme (ECP) is an essential part of theSheffield
City Region Talent Match Partnership’s approach to nurturing the skills and appetite
of young people for enterprise.
Through ECP we want to commission a small number of community-based
providers, particularly smaller, grassroots organisations, across Sheffield City Region
to deliver projects that engage 18-24 NEETs, who have been unemployed for at
least 12 months, in enterprising activities. Example activities might include: projects
that engage young people in raising money for a local charity, carrying out research
into local young people’s needs, organising social activities/events for other local
young people, working on a local community enterprise, e.g. a gardening or local
food growing initiative etc.
However, we don’t want to prescribe the sorts of projects that might be
commissioned; instead, we are open to ideas, especially where these ideas have
been led/shaped by the target beneficiaries themselves.
 Programme Aims
The aims of ECP are to:


Fund innovative, grass roots activity with the Talent Match target group in
order to stimulate entrepreneurial activity and enterprising skills/traits amongst
young people
Prime demand from young people for progression into the core Talent Match
enterprise support scheme in Sheffield City Region
 Target Programme Outcomes
There are 3 Target Programme Outcomes:
1. 100% of programme participants will report an increase in their understanding
of what’s involved in enterprise
2. 100% of programme participants will report that they feel better able to get
into Education, Employment or Training (EET)
3. At least 20% of programme participants will progress into the core Talent
Match enterprise support scheme in Sheffield City Region
If young people progress to set up enterprises or go into self-employment, or,
indeed,employment, as a result of programme participation, that will be a very
welcome bonus (which we will want to capture as part of the added value benefits of
the programme), but it is not part of our expectations in terms of the Target
Programme Outcomes.
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 Monitoring Requirements
Successful bidders will be required to complete brief monitoring returns at certain
intervals. These returns will capture beneficiary details and eligibility status, record
activities undertaken and highlight outcomes achieved.
It is expected that successful bidders will attend quarterly programme meetings with
the Talent Match Lead for Enterprise and other programme providers to report on
progress, discuss any delivery issues and share best practice.
 Programme Scope
We are looking, through a single bidding round, to commission around 10-12
projects through this scheme, with a good spread, if possible, across Sheffield City
Region. Awards will range from £5,000 to £10,000 and will be forrevenue costs.
 Payments Profile
Payments to providers will be paid in two instalments, according to an agreed profile
of activity. The first instalment will be paid at the outset of the project to aid cashflow in the early stages of implementation. The second will be paid in line with an
agreed profile of activity and based on achievement of targets.
 Programme Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this programme, an organisation needs to:


Be part of the voluntary and community/not-for-profit sector (this includes
charities, social enterprises, not-for-profit companies and community groups)
Ensure that all project beneficiaries are eligible for the Enterprising
Communities Programme (i.e. aged 18-24, Not in Education, Employment or
Training [NEET], unemployed for at least 12 months, and resident in Sheffield
City Region)1
1
Sheffield City Region Talent Match covers:
Barnsley
Bassetlaw
Bolsover
Chesterfield
Doncaster
North East Derbyshire
Rotherham
Sheffield
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



Ensure that it has a minimum of 5 eligible beneficiaries on programme at any
given time2
Have an annual turnover of less than £300,000 (this programme is targeted at
smaller providers, encompassing potentially micro community
organisations/groups, including unincorporated associations)
Have Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity and Health & Safety Policies in place
Have an independent bank account in place, into which ECP monies can be
paid
 Programme Assessment Criteria
The framework for assessing and scoring Expressions of Interest will consist of the
following criteria, with the associated number of points that can be scored:






Clear focus on stimulating entrepreneurial activity and enterprising skills/traits
amongst the Talent Match target group (20 points)
Capacity to engage and benefit the Talent Match target group (20 points)
Quality of provision, especially relating to the support provided to beneficiaries
to enable them to achieve project outcomes(15 points)
Clear link to the 3 stated ECP Target Programme Outcomes, including
potential links to the wider Talent Match scheme offer (20 points)
Generating longer term community impact (15 points)
Capacity to monitor and report on outputs/outcomes (10 points)
The total number of points available is 100. Providers will need to meet a minimum
threshold of 60 points to be considered for the second phase Dragon’s Den Panel.
 Commissioning Process
The Sheffield City Region Talent Match Partnership has opted for a 2 stage process:
an Expression of Interest (the pro forma for which is included below), followed by, if
successfully short-listed, a Dragon’s Den style pitch to a panel of young people and
enterprise practitioners.
Instructions for the second phase pitch will be relayed to providers if and when they
are short-listed, but, indicatively at this stage, it is anticipated that providers will be
asked to pitch their project idea for around 5 to 10 minutes (with some additional
time for a follow-on question and answer session), with a focus on:
Providers should anticipate some degree of ‘natural churn’, whereby some young people leave the
project early to, for example, take up employment. In this scenario they would need to be replaced by
other young people in order to maintain the minimum required number of 5 participants at any given
time. Therefore, it is very likely that this minimum quota of 5 beneficiaries will translate into more than
5 individuals taking part in the project over the course of the project timeline. Of course, if providers
were able to recruit, say, 10 individuals at the outset, then if literally as many as half of the
participants dropped out over the course of the project timeline, they wouldn’t need to replace them,
as the number of participants wouldn’t fall below the minimum quota.
2
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




Value for Money
Innovation
Impact
Capacity to engage and benefit the target group
Delivery capability
 Commissioning Timetable
Programme goes live
Briefing Workshop (South Yorkshire)
Briefing Workshop (Derbyshire)
Deadline for return of completed EoI’s
Short-listing of EoI’s complete
Second Phase Dragon’s Den Pitch
Award of commissions
Provision commences
5 January 2015
28 January 2015 (am)
28 January 2015 (pm)
20 February 2015
27 February 2015
Middle of March 2015 (TBC)
End of March 2015
From 1 April 2015
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Sheffield City Region Talent Match Enterprising Communities Programme:
Expression of Interest Form
In completing the following questions please refer to the programme guidance notes.
1. Organisation Details
Name of Organisation:
Registered Office Address:
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Name of main contact person:
Address if different from above:
Date the organisation was started:
2. What is the legal status of your organisation?
Please complete all that apply, and provide registration numbers.
Legal Structure
Company limited by guarantee
Please indicate
whether or not this
applies
Yes/No
Registered charity
Yes/No
Community Interest Company (limited
by shares)*
Community Interest Company (limited
by guarantee)
Unincorporated association or group
Other (please describe)
Yes/No
Registration No.
Yes/No
Yes/No
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3. Eligibility
Eligibility Criteria
3.a
3.b
3.c
3.d
3.e
3.f
3.g
3.h
3.i
Please tick if
this applies
The organisation is part of the voluntary and community/notfor-profit sector (this includes charities, social enterprises, notfor-profit companies and community groups)
The organisation has an independent bank account that the
contract funding can be paid into
During the last full year of operation, the organisation’s
turnover was less than £300,000
The organisation has a Safeguarding Policy in place
The organisation has a Equality & Diversity Policy in place
The organisation has a Health & Safety Policy in place
The organisation will ensure that all project beneficiaries are
eligible (i.e. aged 18-24, Not in Education, Employment or
Training [NEET], unemployed for at least 12 months, and
resident in Sheffield City Region)
The organisation will ensure that it has a minimum of 5 eligible
beneficiaries on programme at any given time
The organisation is prepared, should its Expression of Interest
be shortlisted, to participate in a Dragon’s Den style pitching
event
4. What was your organisation’s overall financial position in the last three
years?
Period
Turnover (£)
Expenditure (£)
Level of
unrestricted
reserves (£)
Year ended:
Year ended:
Year ended:
5. Main Activities
Please outline the main activities of your organisation (max 150 words).
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6. Project Overview
Please provide a brief overview of your proposed project and explain how this meets
community needs. Please describe what involvement the target beneficiaries have
had in shaping the project idea (max 300 words).
7. Timescale
The Enterprising Communities Programme will run from 1 April 2015 to 31 March
2016.
Planned project start date:
Planned project end date (must be no later than 31 March 2016):
8. Reach and Engagement
Please describe how you will reach and engage with the target beneficiary group of
NEETs 18-24, so that you can recruit participantsonto the project(max 200 words).
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9. Outputs
What is the total number of NEETs, 18-24, who will benefit over the lifetime of
the project (there must be at least 5 eligible beneficiaries on
programme at any given time):
10. Outcomes
Please use the table below to list up to 4 project outcomes, (if you only have one
main project outcome, that’s absolutely fine), state how you will achieve each
outcome, and describe briefly how each project outcome fulfils the Target
Programme Outcomes (see Programme Guidance Notes). Examples of project
outcomes might be:
All 10 participants (100%) will report an improvement in confidence and self-esteem
by the end of the project
5 out of the 10 participants (50%) will undertake voluntary work within other local
community projects
The difference, change or
benefit to the participants
How will your project bring
about this change?
How does the change fulfil
the 3 ECP Target
Programme Outcomes?
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11. Quality
Please describe how will assure the quality of provision, particularly relating to the
support you will provide to enable the young people to achieve the stated project
outcomes (max 200 words).
12. Monitoring
Who will be responsible for monitoring the project, what skills and experience do
they possess, and what monitoring systems/methods will they use (max 200 words)?
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13. Community Impact
Will your project have a lasting impact for the community? If so, please describe this
(max 200 words).
14. Value for Money
How much
funding are
you looking
for
(between
£5,000 and
£10,000)?
How many
beneficiaries
will benefit?
Approximate
number of
contact
hours per
beneficiary
15. Budget Breakdown
What will the funding be spent on?
The total in the amount column should match the figure entered into the Value for
Money equation in Question 13.
Item/Description
Amount (£)
Basis of costing
Anticipated date of
spend
TOTAL AMOUNT
Once complete, please e-mail the form to Mandy Jeffrey at Groundwork:
Mandy.Jeffrey@groundwork.org.uk. The deadline for submission of completed
Expressions of Interest is: 4 pm Friday 20 February 2015.
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