Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations

Expert advice for community and voluntary groups and projects in Bridgend County Borough

Managing community and voluntary groups isn't always easy. You're creative, enthusiastic and have a great vision. But you're probably working on a shoestring, with voluntary managers and don't have enough hours in the day. If you sometimes wish you had an expert on hand to sort things out once in a while look no further...

Go to the Sustainable Funding website for recent EU related tender opportunities.

Go to the Sell2Wales website to register and receive up to date tender notices direct to your inbox.

Engagement Gateway

Engagement Gateway is a European Funded initiative that invests in any organisations within the convergence area, working with individuals furthest from the employment market to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence, by participating in activities appropriate to their needs, ith particluar emphasis on next step - be it volunteering, training or employment.

To become involved in Engagement Gateway, organisations need to become an approved supplier by completing a Pre Qualification Questionnaire. Once successful, they will then be eligible to tender for a range of contracts - from £25,000 to £150,000, that are released on a rolling schedule until June 2012.

Engagement Gateway Projects

We are pleased to announce that Engagement Gateway Projects have taken off the ground within the Bridgend area - from volunteering opportunities for the over 50's to assistance in accessing transport for the disabled.

For more information about the Egagement Gateway project contact Nia Williams or Alice Roythorne

Organisation	Project outline
Clybiau Plant Cymru: Level 1:	A programme of activity will be delivered to 25 participants in Bridgend who have an interest in working with children. The programme will be run over a 12 month period and will incorporate a number of elements including building confidence and social skills of participants and vocational skills delivery in childcare and play. Opportunities will also be available to participants for work experience in out of school childcare clubs.
Community Service Volunteers (CSV): Level 3	Engage with economically inactive people of 50 years + in volunteering opportunities in disadvantaged communities within Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend. Participant will be offered a programme of tailored support to develop skills and confidence and encourage further learning. They will promote monitored progression through volunteering to employment or continued personal development.
Elite SEA Ltd: Level 1	The project will enable individuals with learning difficulties, living within Bridgend County, aged 16-64, to engage in travel training opportunities by utilising a tailored approach of one to one training/support in their pathway to employment. The project also enlightens individuals of local community via structured training, building confidence, self-esteem and aspirations.
GOFAL 1: Level 1	A back to work programme will be delivered to individuals with mental health problems accessing Gofal’s services across Bridgend. The programme will be delivered in a working café and aims to provide work placement opportunities and to improve individual self confidence and self esteem. The programme will provide 16 individuals currently receiving services from Gofal Cymru to gain work experience at a café based at Eco-Dysgu in Tondu.
GOFAL 2: Level 1	A back to work programme will be delivered to people with mental health issues accessing Gofal Cymru’s services in the area of Bridgend. The programme will be delivered utilising Eco Dysgu’s services. Eco-Dysgu is a unique not for profit community holistic education centre and Gofal Cymru will utilize Eco Dysgu to provide training for individuals to a number of the participants to develop new work skills. In addition, the programme will deliver additional training to all participants to improve individual self-confidence and self esteem progressing further towards opportunities in employment. This will include CV writing, confidence building and job search support.
Groundwork Neath and Port Talbot Level 1	The P.E.T.E Project will address the emotional and mental health and well-being of young people over the age of 16, through engagement in physical activities, in order to enhance their employability skills.
Groundwork Neath and Port Talbot Level 1	Working primarily with girls aged 16 – 18 we will deliver a programme of activity workshops designed to address emotional immaturity and behavioural problems, raise self esteem and support participants into volunteering or work experience, to gain qualifications, enrol in college or secure employment.
KPC Youth Level 1	To engage with young people from Bridgend County aged 16+ who are not in education, training, employment, and may not be ready either academically, emotionally to progress onto further education or employment. We would aim to build on their personal skills, self awareness and employability skills to enable them to progress onto other training or into employment through 1-1 support, team work, counselling and building their skills.
Llamau LTD: Level 1	Learning 4 Life offers a tailored and flexible pre-vocational learning programme for disadvantaged NEET young people, supporting them to increase their confidence, motivation, skills and qualifications, and moving them closer to the labour market. The project also focuses on independent living, aiming to address both social cohesion and worklessness.
Morphious Ltd Level 2	Morphious will deliver a structured programme of tailored accredited and non accredited workshops on personal development and life skills for individuals. The aim is to develop confidence, motivation and the relevant skills to support a progression route to employment; voluntary work; work placements; education and further skills training.
Morphious Ltd Level 1	Morphious will deliver a structured programme of training workshops on personal development, life skill, debt management and employment specifically for women between the ages of 16 – 25. The aim being to build confidence, raise their self esteem and motivate them to commence a journey which will lead to employment, voluntary work, work placements, education and further skills training.
Prime Cymru Level 1	Pre-employment course and support for people aged 50 and over to help boost confidence, address barriers to economic activity, improve employability skills and produce a personal portfolio to enable them to progress into the labour market.
The Bridge Mentoring Plus Scheme Level 1	Delivery of Open College Network accredited programmes to. And provision of one-to-one mentor support for 50 16-25 year olds in the Bridgend borough, who are not in employment, education or training, with the aim of improving their self esteem, skill levels and encouraging them to pursue further learning and employment.
The Nail Training Academy Level 1	This 20 week intensive project will equip individuals with the skills and competencies needed to deliver a range of nail technology treatments in a commercial environment. Students will also have gained six nationally recognised qualifications upon completion of the programme.
Viva! (Wales) Level 1	The “One Step” project will give young people with a disability, aged 19-30 years old, a voice and influence in the services provided for them. Young people will participate in positive learning outcomes, increasing skills needed to assist them in becoming socially and economically active, benefiting them and their community.
Yellow Wales Level 3	Outreach particularly, but not exclusively, to young people under 25 with housing / homelessness issues to motivate them to develop personally and towards employment * Address barriers to learning and provide engagement / learning * Working in partnership to outreach and provide personal / vocational development progression referral routes.
Youth of Bettws Level 2	Provide young people, particularly those labeled “hard to reach”, dropping out of education, no qualifications, unemployed and lack of ambition, through training services offered, with opportunities to experience a variety of activities alongside accessing a training programme relevant to their needs and personal attitudes. The activities follow an “Alternative Curriculum”.

For further information about their targets click here

Contracts Network Meeting

Contracts delivering Engagement Gateway projects in Bridgend were invited to the latest Networking Meeting held on 23rd May. This meeting gives organisations the opportunity to share ideas and good practice and discuss any issues they may be having. BAVO outlined recent changes to Engagement Gateway, moving from a tendering process to a grant application method. This will only affect those organisations applying for future contracts. The meeting also looked at methods of promoting Engagement Gateway projects and ways of evidencing this. BAVO also advised on potential contacts to help contracts in recruiting participants.

WCVA Approved Suppliers List

Please click here for the complete list of the Approved Suppliers List for the whole convergence area.

European Union/Welsh Assembly Government logo

WAG Logo ESF port

Click here for the Welsh European Funding Office's information on Strategic Frameworks

EU Funding Information - local activities

Bridgend County Borough Council through the CYPP is taking the lead in developing a bid for 'Reaching the Heights', a project which local children and youth organisations will be familiar with. A local project board has been set up and BAVO is involved with that board. Further updates will follow.

Additionally the Bridgend Learning and Skills Network has also set up a project board to look at a bid to develop basic and broader skills to tackle economic inactivity. The sector is also represented on that Board by BAVO, although it has yet to determine direction. Further updates will be posted on the forum pages when they are available.

Expressions of Interest in Projects (EoI)

The actual application process begins with an 'Expression of Interest' (EoI), with prospective project sponsors (ie organisations that will undertake the management of the whole bid/project). It is BAVO's understanding that EOI's will also be posted on the website in due course.

Organisations are now able to submit their EoI via a 'request to submit an EOI' link available on the WEFO website [Strategic Frameworks] and follow the links.

The EoI stage is intended for prospective project sponsors that have already demonstrated their commitment to collaborative working with other organisations and major stakeholders, including by posting their project idea on the WEFO website. Prospective sponsors also need to consider a number of conditions, including whether they are eligible as an organisation to receive European funding and whether their proposed project meets the eligibility rules and fits with a Strategic Framework [Strategic Frameworks]. Following submission of an EOI request, prospective project sponsors will be contacted directly by a WEFO Project Development Officer (PDO) who will discuss their request and help applicants to register their EoI.

Tendering and Procurement

For tendering and procurement opportunities of successful EU proposals, keep an eye on the Sell to Wales website. Watch this space for updates.

Visit our training page for information on our 'How to Tender' workshops.