EMFAN: HLF Skills for the Future Gets £15 Million and Re-opens

Loaded: Tue, 20/11/2012 - 15:11

With £15 million more in its budget, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is now inviting applications to its Skills for the Future programme.

Launched in July 2009, Skills for the Future is an HLF programme supporting organisations across the UK to create new training places to meet a skills shortage in the heritage sector. To date it has awarded £26.8 million which has enabled high-quality work-based training, the development of new qualifications and capacity building in the heritage sector.

The new £15 million initiative 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.
  • Increase the diversity of the heritage workforce.

Not-for-profit organisations; and partnerships led by not-for-profit organisations in the UK may apply for grants of between £100,000 and £1 million. They need to show a skills shortage; that they can plan and develop a new training programme; and recruit, train and pay trainees new to the sector. Partnership bids are welcomed. Projects should be led by a heritage organisation. Eligible organisations include community and voluntary groups; charities and trusts; Community Interest Companies; social enterprises; and community/parish councils.

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.

HLF will be running a number of pre-application workshops across the UK in November and December 2012. Groups are asked to register an interest by emailing skills@hlf.org.uk with the date and location of the session they would like to attend.

  • Edinburgh 9 November
  • Ballymena 19 November
  • Birmingham 23 November
  • Cardiff 28 November
  • Wrexham 29 November
  • Manchester 30 November
  • Taunton 5 December
  • London 7 December
  • Peterborough 13 December

First-round applications are due by noon on 31 January 2013 for a decision in May 2013.

Full details can be found on the Skills for the Future webpage.

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Arts, Culture, Heritage & Sport
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