European Social Fund in England

Inside knowledge

Project Title: Inside Knowledge (2.2g)

Lead Applicant: The City Literary Institute

Region: London, including all 5 London LSC areas (North, East, South, West and Central)

Funding: LSC Pan-London ESF Objective 3

Target group: Unemployed learners, particularly the homeless and ex-offenders

Nature of activity: Training provision leading to City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Supporting the Development Needs of Homeless and Vulnerable People

Outcomes:

• 365 beneficiaries supported
• 264 Level 2 qualifications
• 94 progressions to further learning
• 64 progressions to paid / voluntary employment

The City Literary Institute trains long-term homeless people and ex-offenders thanks to the London-wide Inside Knowledge project. Learners are recruited via the hostels in which they are temporarily housed and are provided with intensive, tailored support leading to the achievement of a City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Supporting the Development Needs of Homeless and Vulnerable People.

The project offers a chance to homeless people and ex-offenders who have 'inside knowledge' to work as support workers. By enabling people to build on their experience and to convert it to a work asset, Inside Knowledge aims to equip people to overcome the barriers of employer discrimination and lack of work experience or qualification. At the same time it will provide homelessness organisations with job-ready, qualified starters and volunteers.

Support entails advice and guidance and job brokerage allowing progression onto further training, employment and voluntary work. It also includes travel costs, refreshments and PPEC (footwear) for work shadowing. Following the first year of training delivery, the City Literary Institute will, in 2006, offer training solely from its centrally located centre following positive feedback from beneficiaries. The latter have benefited from travelling away from their normal environments to become 'students' at the City Literacy Institute centre near Covent Garden.

A number of the 174 students who have completed classroom training have already gone on to paid employment, work placements and volunteering. Some of them have been trained to deliver presentations and workshops about Inside Knowledge; the project is in this way promoted by the very learners who have benefited from it. Following their good effort on the project, the City Literary Institute has put forward 5 learners for the NIACE's Adult Learner Awards 2006 and is organising an Award ceremony to celebrate beneficiaries' achievements in April 2006.

The programme is a partnership between expert organisations who work daily with excluded homeless people or ex-offenders, London Probation Service and City Literary Institute. It includes a small financial incentive for organisations that refer suitable beneficiaries as a way to recognise the work done by these in 'capturing' hard-to-reach target groups.