Almost £150,000 is being used to fund a programme of training to help people in Newton Aycliffe and the surrounding area into work.
It’s the biggest project to date for Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership (GAMP) and will see cash spent on both an Employability Skills Fund which can respond to specific training needs and a discretionary fund which will remove the barriers that prevent young people from accessing training.
Examples of specialist training include:
• Fork lift truck training
• Specialist Gas training
• Tiling, plumbing and plastering
• Hazardous off-shore training
• HGV Training
£30,000 has come from the GAMP area budget with additional funding from councillors Joan Gray, Paul Gittins, Dorothy Bowman, Mike Dixon, Enid Paylor, John Moran and Sarah Iveson’s Neighbourhood Budget totalling £60,000.
Further funding has come from Bishop Auckland College, Sedgefield Borough Homes, South Durham Enterprise Agency and MEARS bringing the total to £147,910.
The project will launch on November 1 at 10.00am at Newton Aycliffe Learning Centre.
Representatives from GAMP, Bishop Auckland College, Sedgefield Borough Homes, South Durham Enterprise Agency and MEARS will attend with some of the councillors.
Brian Riley, GAMP coordinator, said: “One of GAMP’s key priorities is Employment, Job Prospects and Enterprise.
“This project is unique to the GAMP area and brings together a wide range of partners to address barriers to employment and it is hoped that the project will be of immense benefit to the town’s job seekers.”
