Raising money for Torbay’s employment opportunities

Local organizations have been given a cash boost to deliver new support programs designed to help residents get back into work, gain new career opportunities and upskill in current roles.

Four partners have been awarded a total of £701,000 from the £1.76 million UK Prosperity Shared Fund, along with some additional Council funding, to deliver five new employment and skills programmes.

The initiatives will be launched in the coming weeks, when residents will have the opportunity to learn more about each program and register their interest. All programs will offer a personal approach, helping participants to raise their aspirations, progress in the employment market and gain new skills and are completely free to those who take part.

The five programs offered include:

• Focus Forward: Help those most in need of support to find work by providing intensive and tailored mentoring and provision, delivered by Eat That Frog and I Can Do That CIC
• Targeting Torbay’s digital skills gap: Supporting those at risk of digital exclusion by removing the digital skills barriers residents may encounter such as access to technology and technology confidence, delivered by Turning Heads CIC
• Sound Futures: Help for young people not currently in education, employment or training, provided by Sound Communities CIC
• Torbay Green Skills: Provision provided to support the strategic green skills agenda, developing the skills required for the future workforce and economy, delivered by South Devon College
• Torbay Sector Skills Support: Working with employers in Torbay’s key sectors to upskill employees and enable them to progress into work, unlocking highly paid and highly skilled roles, delivered by South Devon College
• Alongside these projects is the government-funded Multiply Programme, which launched in Torbay in 2023. The program provides free maths and numeracy courses for adults aged 19 and over, giving people the skills they need to progress in their careers theirs, to secure well-paid jobs and improve their well-being.

Torbay Council received £613,000 to deliver the Multiplication Program as part of the government’s Level Up agenda.

Chris Lewis, Cabinet Member for Local Services and Economic Growth for Torbay Council, said: “These are targeted programs that will give local people the support they need to find new employment or progress in their careers They are designed to help people of all ages and backgrounds and are completely free to those who participate.

“We are delighted to be working with local partners to deliver these new initiatives and hope that residents from across the Gulf will benefit from the support on offer.”