Education and training services

Tender description

The European Social Fund (ESF) aims to increase labour market participation, promote social inclusion and develop the skills of the workforce. In London, the ESF will support the London Economic Action Partnership's three skills and employment themes: 1) Promoting sustainable employment and progression; 2) Ensuring individuals and employers are better informed on skills and employment; 3) Encouraging businesses' growth. The contracts were procured using a modified open procedure under the light touch regime to deliver a mix of youth and adult skills and employments services to support unemployed adults and young people through training and sustained jobs and to help employed people on low pay to progress in work through skills development. This lot relates to services that focus on supporting unemployed and economically inactive adults and young people to gain industry-relevant, pre-apprenticeship skills to enable them to ultimately progress into sustainable employment. The lot comprised six sub-lots, each referring to a specific sector: 1a) Health and Social Care Sector Skills; 1b) Infrastructure and Construction Sector Skills; 1c) Early Years; 1d) Creative 1e) Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sectors; and 1f) Other Sector Skills. Successful providers will be required to engage with stakeholders and sub regional partnerships to ensure that local priority needs are met. One contract to be awarded per sub-lot. This lot has three strands: Strand 1: Supporting people onto sustained higher and degree-level apprenticeship programmes. Strand 2: Supporting people onto sustained Level 4+ accredited provision aligned with career progression. Strand 3: Supporting refugees and recently-arrived migrants with permission to work in the UK and with non-UK Level 4+ qualifications, skills and experience into higher level work. There are two geographically-focused sub-lots within this lot: (a) Local London and South London Partnership; and (b) Central London Forward and West London Alliance. Contracts will be awarded covering these areas reflecting the sub regional partnerships of London boroughs which are defined in the Specification. The contracts will support people who are in low paid work to access higher level occupations, higher level apprenticeships, or in-work training. One contract to be awarded per sub-lot. The capacity for provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in London is constrained by the combination of the current lack of ESOL provision overall of more qualified teachers, and of support for lower qualified teachers to progress. Better qualified teachers are particularly important where the need is not only for basic English ability, but also for associated literacy, numeracy and digital skills. It is anticipated that this Lot will work through a mentoring model. Delivery partners will need to demonstrate how they will deliver group training sessions with 1:1 coaching support (by subject experts) for participants focused on improving their practice. There are no sub-lots within this lot. Evidence shows that adults without GCSEs at Grade C/4 (or above) in English and/or mathematics have limited job opportunities, career progression prospects and earning potential. Moreover, as disadvantaged young people are less likely to secure these qualifications at both 16 and 18 years of age, adults without this level of qualification are already likely to be some of the most disadvantaged in London. This lot aims to pilot innovative approaches to address the common barriers that affect participation among those in low-paid work, delivering qualifications integrated with wrap-around interventions to participating adults to support them to achieve their English and mathematics qualifications. There are no sub-lots within this lot. Over 50 per cent of the UK's provision to support speakers of English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) takes place in London, and funding cuts have created a significant gap in provision, with over half of providers, rising to two-thirds of colleges, reporting that they struggle to meet demand for ESOL provision. This programme aims to support unemployed adults with low-level English language and literacy skills. Provision will integrate basic digital skills with English language tuition and address the growing demand for ESOL at lower entry and pre-entry levels and reduce digital exclusion. There are no sub-lots within this lot. Without formal qualifications and appropriate life skills, entering London's complex, high-skill job market is much more difficult and therefore young people are likely to suffer from reduced opportunities, low incomes and unemployment at a later stage of their lives. This contract for services has been developed to complement existing provision and it incorporates two primary expected aims: (i) to intervene early and reduce the number of young Londoners who will Not be in Employment, Education and Training (NEET); and (ii) to reduce drop-out at age 17 so that young people complete Key Stage 5 education and training. There are four sub-lots reflecting the four geographical sub regional partnerships of London boroughs: (a) Central London Forward; (b) Local London; (c) South London Partnership; and (d) West London Alliance. One contract to be awarded per sub lot. Services offered through this contract will provide intensive and long-term support for young people who are vulnerable to becoming involved in gangs and serious youth violence. Commissioned services are intended to work closely with Alternative provision (AP) and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to support young people at risk. The programme will be targeted at the London boroughs with the highest levels of gang-related activity as detailed in the specification. There are no sub-lots within this lot. Young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) experience lower entry into education, employment or training (EET) outcomes than the general youth population and higher levels of unemployment an inactivity as adults. Young people with SEND are less likely to have formal qualifications and appropriate life skills. The focus of support through this contract will differ according to age: young people aged 16-17 will be supported to move into a sustained EET outcome which is compliant with the requirements of the UK policy on Raising the Participation Age (RPA); and for the older age group (aged 18-24) the aim is to tackle the issue of young people with SEND cycling in and out of training without gaining employment experience. There are three sub lots focused on three key groups: (a) Young people with Learning Difficulties; (b) Young people with Physical Disabilities or Long-Term Health needs; and (c) Young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. One contract to be awarded for each sub-lot. The services commissioned via this lot are intended to reduce the number of young Londoners aged 16 to 24 who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) and have other specific complex needs or characteristics, and are therefore likely to suffer from reduced opportunities, low incomes and unemployment at a later stage of their lives. There is a need to provide targeted interventions for these young people in order to increase their chances of moving into sustained employment, education or training (EET). The contract will offer tailored programmes and take a multi-agency approach to address the complex barriers faced by these young people. There are four sub-lots reflecting the four geographical sub regional partnerships of London boroughs: (a) Central London forward; (b) Local London; (c) South London Partnership; and (d) West London Alliance. One contract to be awarded per sub-lot. There is a high level of need for careers support in London. Although the proportion of young people in London who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) has fallen in recent years, nearly one in ten (83,000) of 16- to 24-year olds in the capital still fall into this category. It is anticipated that this contract for services will build upon the success of the 12 existing careers clusters in London (funded until March 2019), which worked to improve the provision of careers, education, advice, information and guidance (CEAIG) in the capital. The clusters will offer more intensive support to schools with a higher need, supplementing the universal provision which will be available to schools through the London Enterprise Advisers Network and related provision. Ten contracts to be awarded.