Skills for the Future funds work-based training in a wide range of skills that are needed to look after landscapes, habitats and species as well as equipping people to lead education and outreach programmes, manage volunteers and use new technology. Grants will be given to organisations that can evidence a skills shortage to plan and develop a new training programme and to recruit, train and pay recruits new to the sector.
Skills for the Future is intended to:
- increase the range and quality of work-based training to develop skills in the heritage sector;
- meet identified skills shortages in the heritage sector;
- increase the capacity of the sector to deliver training and share good practice; and
- increase the diversity of the heritage workforce.
Partnership bids are welcomed. Projects should be led by a heritage organisation.
The Skills for the Future programme seeks to achieve outcomes for heritage, people and communities. Individual projects must contribute to the following:
- Outcomes for people – people will have developed skills and learnt about heritage.
- Outcomes for communities – more people and a wider range of people will have engaged with heritage.
- The majority of the funding should be directed at new entrants to heritage workforce but there will be an opportunity for a small amount of up skilling of existing workforce as long as this is not the main element of the project.
- Training opportunities of 3-18 months
- Provide accreditation for the training where possible.
Size of fund
£15 million grant fund that is hoping to deliver up to 1000 training opportunities. Last funding round the average grant was around £315K.
Size of Grant
£100K- £1million
Match funding
includes cash, volunteer time, non cash contributions etc. Some of the funding must be from your own organisation’s resources. Min- contribution is 5%. It is suggested that as a public body this should be at least 5%-10% cash contribution and at least another 20- 30% of other type of Match Funding.
Time frames
pre enquiry application (anytime) / Stage 1 (deadline noon 31 Jan 2013). Decision May 2013 and if successful you have up to 31st Dec 2013 to undertake development phase and submit Stage 2 application info. You can ask for development grant if necessary. Decision on stage 2- 8 weeks period and next available decision meeting.
Length of project
up to 4 yrs, can occasionally extend to 5 years.
Costs that can be covered
Direct costs
- bursary payments for trainees, including tax where exemption is not agreed;
- trainee recruitment costs, including the additional work to reach a wider range of applicants;
- new staff posts;
- extra hours for existing staff;
- the cost of filling a post left empty by moving an existing member of staff into a post created for the project; equipment and materials for training;
Training costs
- train-the-trainer costs;
- networking and sharing events for trainees and hosts;
- accreditation costs;
- professional fees;
Evaluation
Promotion; and extra costs for your organisation, for example, extra photocopying or new computers.
Direct project costs do not include:
- the cost of existing staff time;
- existing organisational costs.
NB- all new staff posts must be advertised.
Approximate idea of costs- HLF previously suggested that a 12 month placement should be no more than
£25K all in (includes all associated costs, contingency, inflation and match funding elements). I.e. 10 x 1yr placements= project overall cost should be less than £250K.
Training plan should not cost more than £30K.