Celebrating the end of our Building Better Opportunities projects
Since July 2016 Ongo Communities have partnered with Voluntary Centre Services (BBO MOVE) and Humber Learning consortium (BBO Humber) to deliver the Building Better Opportunities project.
The projects were funded by The European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund and over the last seven years, we have received £630,000.00 in funding. This has enabled the team within Ongo Employment Support to help those most in need to address barriers into work and education.
We helped those furthest from the labour market who may never have been in work, have mental or physical health issues, low skilled or homeless to access individualised support to enable the participants to address their personal barriers, find solutions and achieve their goals.
The team which included Emma Howes-Richardson – Team Leader, Employment Support & Life Coach Laura Sweeney, Andrea Scutt, Pete Tedde, more recently Brad Trott and along with past team members Clare Sparrow and Michaela Paxton who provided customers with personalised support throughout their journey.
Emma Howes-Richardson, Team Leader said, “Throughout the years I have been working on the BBO project, I have seen how the project has been able to make a big difference to people’s lives. The team have made some incredible progress with the customers.
“It’s fantastic to get the feedback from our Contract Managers and it just shows how we have always put the customer at the centre of what we do.”
We have supported 334 customers through both projects with 88% progressing into employment, education or active job search.
At our last partnership meeting for BBO Humber our team were presented with an award for the most holistic approach engaging target audiences, which was great to see the team acknowledged for their work and thinking outside the box.
Michelle Munslow, HLC Partnership Manager said, “Ongo have used innovative ways of working with participants and external agencies in addressing the route cause and breaking down barriers prior to starting of learning activities.”
Jennie Eaton, Greater Lincolnshire MOVE Project Coordinator said, “Ongo have been one of our most innovative partners on MOVE, finding new ways to engage and support the people that really needed them.
“One of the most impressive things about Ongo’s work on MOVE has been the results they’ve achieved with their customers, looking at the whole person, not just their employment aims. They spent time finding out about people’s lives, what matters to them, what difficulties they were facing, and what they wanted to achieve.
“Ongo has helped so many people to access life-changing training, volunteering, social and work opportunities that they may never otherwise have known about, or felt able to do.”
This project was funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.