UKSPF - TRAIN: Green grant fund high carbon retraining call for proposals

Lead local authority: Gateshead Council
Investment priority: People and Skills
Intervention(s): E40: Retraining support for those in high carbon sectors
Call Reference: UKSPFPS012
Call Closes: 5pm on Wednesday 9 October 2024

1. Introduction - UK Shared Prosperity Fund
2. Gateshead Strategic Context
3. Gateshead Investment Plan
4. People and Skills Investment Priority
5. Call Summary
6. Scope of Call
7. Outputs and Outcomes
8. Application Process and Prioritisation Methodology
9. General Information
9.1 Eligibility
9.2 Project timescales
9.3 Output and Outcome Definitions
9.4 Equalities
10. Key Documents
11. Document Checklist
12. Document Submission

 1. Introduction - UK Shared Prosperity Fund

1.1 The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar in the Government's levelling up agenda and is the domestic replacement for European Structural and Investment Funds which ends in 2023.

1.2 UKSPF will support the UK government's wider commitment to level up all parts of the UK by delivering on each of the levelling up objectives:

• Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging
• Spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest
• Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost
• Empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency

1.3 The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. This aligns with Levelling Up White Paper missions, particularly: 'By 2030, pride in place, such as people's satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.'

1.4 Underneath the overarching aim of building pride in place and increasing life chances, there are three UKSPF investment priorities: communities and place; supporting local business; and people and skills.

2. Gateshead Strategic Context

2.1 Gateshead Council has a strategic approach to make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives and has committed to five pledges to help make it a great place to live, work and visit:

• Put people and families at the heart of everything we do
• Tackle inequality so people have a fair chance
• Support our communities to support themselves and each other
• Invest in our economy to provide sustainable opportunities for employment, innovation and growth across the borough
• Work together and fight for a better future for Gateshead

2.2 Underpinning this is the Health and Wellbeing Strategy that sets out a vision of 'good jobs, homes, health and friends' that will be achieved by addressing the wider determinants of health, including the economy.

2.3 In support of the Council's Thrive pledges and the Health and Wellbeing Strategy's policy objectives, our vision for Gateshead's economy is one which is fairer, greener and more resilient that enables everyone to thrive and delivers good jobs, growing businesses and great places.

2.4 Gateshead's Economic Development Strategy sets out five strategic policy objectives to help us achieve this and they have guided our approach to the development of Gateshead's UKSPF Investment Plan.

3. Gateshead Investment Plan

3.1 To access UKSPF funding, Gateshead Council, as a lead local authority, was required to develop and submit a local investment plan to Government for agreement.

3.2 The Investment Plan was approved in December 2022 and sets out local evidence of opportunities and challenges and prioritised outcomes and interventions.

Breakdown of funds:

4. People and Skills Investment Priority

4.1 We are investing £1.91m of Gateshead's UKSPF allocation to support three People and Skills objectives:

• supporting economically inactive people to overcome barriers to work by providing cohesive, locally tailored support including access to basic skills
• supporting people furthest from the labour market to access basic skills
• skills to progress in work and to fund local skills needs

4.2 Funding will tackle the challenges set out in our Investment Plan and provide an opportunity to pursue local opportunities to help Gateshead become a place where everyone thrives.

4.3 UKSPF will complement, align with, and add value to mainstream provision accessible through the Department for Work & Pensions Jobcentre Plus network, the Adult Education Budget and the Council's Working Gateshead employment support service.

5. Call Summary

5.1 Gateshead Council is seeking to invite applications to deliver projects against the following People and Skills intervention:

• E40: Retraining support for those in high carbon sectors

5.2 The TRAIN:Green grant fund will provide funding for one project to deliver courses which will support businesses and individuals to retrain in preparation for heat networks and their associated supply chain. Applicants will demonstrate how they intend to pilot transformational activity within the jobs market to support delivery of heat networks and decarbonisation.

5.3 Applicants are invited to develop a TRAIN:Green project will:

• develop and deliver low-carbon skills courses targeted at those individuals with transferable skills, in order to meet the workforce demands of a heat network
• support businesses to identify skills required to allow them to support a heat network and any subsequent supply chain

5.4 The project should:

• offer the skills required to deliver a heat network, which could include heat network feasibility and design, heat network construction, heat networks operation and maintenance, heat networks metering and billing and data collection etc.
• deliver the knowledge to tackle the barriers to climate action
• support the process of speeding up progress to net-zero
• provide opportunities to share expertise and good practice
• link in with the established Business Energy Saving Team programme

6. Scope of Call

7. Outputs and Outcomes

7.1 Applicants will need to demonstrate how the eligible activity, funded by UKSPF will achieve the Outputs and Outcomes for intervention E40.

7.2 A minimum of 25 individuals ('participants') must be supported by the project and we expect the number of participants, Outputs and Outcomes proposed within applications to be realistic and achievable but deliver good value for money. An important consideration when assessing value for money is the level of UK Shared Prosperity Fund Outputs and Outcomes that the project would deliver.

7.3 The application should clearly state the methodology used to determine the levels of outputs and outcomes proposed.

7.4 The Outputs and Outcomes selected for the intervention in Gateshead's Investment Plan are presented in Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1

Table 2

7.5 The project will be required to deliver against every Output and Outcome associated with the call (Table 1 and Table 2). Whilst we are not setting minimum or maximum volumes, applications should clearly state the methodology used to determine the number of participants, Outputs and Outcomes proposed.

7.6 It will be possible to report multiple Outputs and Outcomes per participant.

7.7 The project will be required to report regularly on progress towards achievement of targets. This will need to include both quantitative and qualitative data.

7.8 Applicants will need to explain how they will collect and record this information to maintain a fully evidenced audit trail. If the project fails to deliver contracted Outputs and Outcomes, a performance penalty may apply.

7.9 For further information please refer to Gateshead Council's Open Call Guidance document.

8. Application Process and Prioritisation Methodology

8.1 There is a one stage application process to the TRAIN:Green fund.

8.2 Acceptance of an application does not in any way indicate or constitute an offer of a UKSPF grant.

8.3 There is a two-stage assessment process for the TRAIN:Care fund: Gateway Assessment and Core Assessment.

8.4 Please refer to the Open Call Guidance document for detailed information on this process.

9. General Information

9.1 Eligibility Rules

When developing an application, applicants must refer to the Open Call Guidance document setting out the requirements of Gateshead Council's UKSPF programme. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the requirements are adhered to both at application stage and following approval. Failure to do so can lead to financial penalties leading to the recovery of up to 100% of the grant value.

If in doubt on any of the requirements, applicants are strongly advised to seek advice by emailing ukspf@gateshead.gov.uk

9.2 Project timescales

The project approved through this Open Call will be expected to:

• Commence delivery within the agreed timescale as stated in the Grant Funding Agreement; and
• Have completed the delivery of all project activity and defrayal of all project expenditure by 31 March 2025.

Should there be any changes to timescales, applicants will be notified at the earliest opportunity.

9.3 Output and Outcome definitions

See Information on the Outputs and Outcomes definitions for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  

This provides an up-to-date list of Outputs and Outcomes and the indicator definition and unit of measurement that corresponds to each Output and Outcome.

Government may update, amend or add to this additional guidance and all applicants must ensure that they are using the most up to date versions of all documents which will be available on the UKSPF government website.

Annex A provides further detail on the evidence and additional information required to substantiate Outputs and Outcomes for TRAIN:Care.

9.4 Equalities

All applications as a result of this call will be required to demonstrate how equalities have been addressed in the project design and development to address the needs highlighted in the UKSPF Additional Guidance.

10. Key Documents

• Gateshead Council UKSPF Investment Plan
• Gateshead Economic Development Strategy
• Application Form (Word doc, 100 KB)
• Gateshead Council Open Call Guidance
• Annex A - Outputs and outcomes definitions and evidence
• Annex B - TRAIN: Care Finance, Outputs and Outcomes template (Excel doc, 71 KB)

11. Document Checklist

11.1 Incomplete applications will be rejected. Please ensure the following information (documents) are submitted.

• Fully completed application form
• Fully completed Annex B TRAIN:Care Finance, Outputs and Outcomes template
• Organisation structure chart
• Corporate policies if unable to provide links
• Due diligence documentation as detailed in section 9 of the Open Call Guidance

12. Document Submission

12.1 Completed applications must be submitted via email to: ukspf@gateshead.gov.uk.

12.2 Applicants are asked to include the name of the relevant investment priority you are applying for i.e., 'People and Skills Investment Priority' in the subject line.

12.3 Applications not received by the deadline will not be assessed and those which are not fully completed will be excluded.

12.4 Gateshead Council will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.