Building Bridges Programme
Helping people overcome their barriers to education and employment across Swindon and Wiltshire.
About the Programme
Building Better Opportunities is a national programme funded jointly funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund. It aims to tackle the poverty and social exclusion faced by the most disadvantaged people in England. The Building Bridges programme is the local implementation of Building Better Opportunities across Swindon and Wiltshire. The local focus for the programme is on supporting those furthest from the labour market in accessing the skills, development, education and/or experience they need to achieve and sustain ongoing employment. Our target group is those who are unemployed or economically inactive and facing multiple, complex challenges and barriers. Participation in the programme is entirely voluntary and free to users.
The programme started in July 2016 and will run to 2023.
OUR AIM
Target number of participants engaged in the programme
%
Target percentage of participants moving into employment
%
Target percentage of participants moving into education
Programme Delivery
The programme is delivered by a number of cross-sector partners with a strong delivery records across both Swindon and Wiltshire. Community First is the lead partner for the Building Bridges partnership and our key roles are:
- Overall management of the programme
- Engagement with potential participants who are referred to the programme and matching them to the most appropriate partner organisations
- Liaison with programme funders at the The National Lottery Community Fund and the European Social Fund
- Engagement with key stakeholders and referral organisations to build strong working relationships
- Ongoing development of the programme to ensure it meets participant needs
- Promotion of the programme
Programme Ethos
The programme ethos is to:
Retain the core delivery elements that make each partner effective
Develop more effective cross-referral pathways
Develop more collaborative partnership working, especially cross-sector
Introduction to the Building Bridges Programme
This video was made by Building Bridges Programme partner Create Studios, working alongside the Building Bridges team.
