Getting Ahead

Getting Ahead is funded by money that has been dormant in bank and building society accounts across the UK for 15 years or more. How we spend this money in Wales has been decided by the Welsh Government, which has issued us with policy directions outlining its priorities for supporting children and young people. The Big Lottery Fund has worked closely with the Welsh Government to develop this programme.

The programme hopes to engage, prepare and motivate young people aged 16–18 years into undertaking a six month paid supported work placement in order to enhance their chances of progressing into sustainable employment or further learning or training by increasing their employability skills.

• Young people who have offended who are between the ages of 16 and 18. By young people who have offended, we mean those who are in contact with, or known to, the local youth offending team (YOT). They may include former offenders and those who are currently in young offenders institutions.
• Those who meet the definition of a care leaver as outlined in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, between the ages of 16 and 18.

• Disengaged young people are closer to engagement with the labour market as a result of developing employability skills and acquiring qualifications in key basic skills through supported paid work placements.
• Third and public sector organisations have worked in partnership to provide supported work experience opportunities that improve young peoples’ employability prospects by making them ready for the labour market.
• Learning from the programme has been captured and used to inform the development of future policy in the area of youth employment and skills.

Only formally constituted third sector organisations that can operate across the whole of Wales can apply. They must have the capacity to work with a range of partners at a local level in the third, public and private sectors to enable the project to source the necessary work placements and provide the support that the young people need.

If you apply to the programme, your application will need to show that you have the necessary partnerships in place to be able to provide work placements tailored to the needs of the beneficiaries. We will fund one grant of up to £3.4 million for a Wales-wide project lasting two years.

You can apply for:

• some or all your project costs for up to two years
• a contribution towards the partnership’s overheads
• capital equipment up to £50,000, such as computers.