Skills for the future-Applications Now Open...

So, if you're maybe developing some kind of intermediate labour market opportunity, maybe you are a social enterprise and you're renovating and re-interpreting your water mill as part of a community regeneration project this looks like it'd be good to look into--

Skills for the Future is a £5 million targeted grants programme to support organisations across the UK to create new opportunities for work-based training in the heritage sector.  It is hoped that the programme will make an important contribution to helping the heritage sector prepare for, and play a role in, the post-recession economy.
Skills for the Future aims to fund projects which provide paid work-based training placements to meet a skills gap in the heritage sector and which fully support trainees to learn practical skills.  Grants will be given to organisations or partnerships to plan and deliver a new training programme for a specified number of trainees.  Typically, these programmes will provide trainees with an individual plan and enable them to work alongside one or more experienced heritage professionals in the work place.
The types of skills to be encouraged by this initiative include, for example:

• skills to plan, manage and deliver learning programmes for a variety of different audiences;
• community engagement skills, for example, the skills needed to work with under-represented audiences in heritage;
• volunteer management skills in heritage settings;
• interpretation skills, for example, to create engaging and accessible exhibitions;
• skills to manage the impacts climate change will have on heritage or to reduce the carbon footprint of heritage assets;
• skills to use digital technology in heritage conservation, learning or participation.

Sector-specific skills will also be supported.
Grants of between £100,000 and £1 million are available.  Supported projects will normally last for up to four years, with some extending to five years, and will provide for training placements of between three and 18 months long.
Applications are welcomed from single organisations and partnerships in the UK.  Priority is given to not-for-profit organisations and partnerships.  Partnerships might be drawn from organisations whose main purpose is to conserve or engage people with heritage; third sector organisations; Sector Skills Councils or local authorities; professional bodies; learning and training providers; private sector companies, for example, those specialising in conservation.
The deadline for the receipt of applications is 19 March 2010.

Web Ref is: http://www.hlf.org.uk/