Issue - decisions

YNYCA are fund holding the DWP Trailblazer programme designed to support economically inactive individuals to move closer to the labour market through a series of specific strands of activity. York Learning have delivered 7 different projects under the Year 1 funded activity and will be delivering 5 strands of activity under the Year 2 funded programme.

One of the strands builds on the success of a Year 1 programme that provided heritage conservation training and live site experience delivered by a local heritage conservation employer supported by recruitment and assessment, quality assurance, job search and mentoring by York Learning. This project saw 20 individuals including those with disabilities and health conditions, and young NEETs complete training in this field.

Year 2’s proposal is designed to be more extensive with an expedited plan to move more people into paid employment opportunities within the heritage conservation industry which is currently seeking a further 250,000 employees nationwide over the next year.

As a result, CYC held a public procurement exercise to appoint a local employer to deliver training in lime mortar repair, timber window frame repair, and fire door upgrading as the 3 key work skills that can passport individuals into relevant employment, alongside a CSCS labourer card.

The successful organization has now won the tender- Pinnacle Conservation Ltd (with partnership support from York Conservation Trust) and as part of the contracting process we need to approve the funding amount of £159,870.06 for them to deliver this programme over the current financial year but starting in June 2026 in order to deliver to the spec.

Comments/Observations:
The plan to deliver this programme through Traiblazer funding builds on the explicit test and learn methodology recommended by DWP and also ties in with the dedicated CYC Heritage Strategy and overall, 10-year skills strategy, particularly around retro fitting for green skills. Longer term this will also improve collaborative work in the specialist construction sector, providing local labour market models that benefit our residents and lead to more employment opportunities.

Decision: To approve the award of grant to the provider identified through the tender process.