ESOL/BME contract update
Calling all ESOL providers & organisations working with BME groups/migrant workers!
Organisations delivering ESOL or working with BME groups or migrant workers
If you deliver ESOL provision or work with BME groups or migrant workers then the recent ESF contract may be of interest to you. This is a 6 year £3.6 million contract covering the Eastern Region. If you feel you have something to contribute to this, either as an ESOL provider or as an organisation working with BME groups or migrant workers, then you will need to identify yourselves now so that you can be written into any bid.
Having explored the various options, it is felt that the only feasible option is to approach Barnfield College in Bedfordshire. As it is HIGHLY probable that they will win the contract, it seems best to approach them directly. That is the advice that we as Norfolk Unites offer.
If you deliver ESOL learning, there is an obvious service you can offer them there. If it is that you work with BME groups or migrant workers in general, it may be that you can offer an alternative service such as supporting those individuals to a place where they can take up formal learning opportunities.
Each organisation will need to individually propose a service that they can deliver, but of course timescales are tight with end of August being when this application window closes. We would therefore urge any of you with further interest in this to contact Barnfield College directly to explore your options. Su Pointer is the Norfolk contact for this contract, e-mail is: su@n-scs.co.uk.
Norfolk Unites feel it is an excellent opportunity to put your organisation forward to deliver on this significant contract but there is an obvious need to move quickly. All activity on this 6 year contract must be delivered by named partners written into the application and this is the small window within which to react.
We wish you all the best with any of your proposals.
See here for details of the contract.
Please forward this news link to any organisation you feel needs to be aware of this opportunity!
Date Added: July 23rd 2008
