The aim of BUFU was to create a robust framework of support for unemployed residents to access work & training opportunities linked to development sites & public housing maintenance programmes in both Project partners’ regions.

To achieve this, Partnership has:

• been working collaboratively to build a model of delivery that draws on collective best practice & was informed by both the potential participants of the service & the developers who were asked to comply with the new legislation.

• engaged elected members & senior officials to ensure that learning is embedded within the organisations in each of the partner cities

• been engaged in ongoing review to monitor quality, ensuring that the aims were met,

The project had two main target groups:

For the residents, provision of:

• A ‘toolkit’ supplying practical information on access routes to work

• A tailor made support package providing employability to make residents ‘work ready’

• Industry awareness & careers information

•• Develop a brokerage service linking developers with supported people

• Coordinate traineeships & on-site skills training

• Provide job ready staff as a means of engaging developers in the BUFU project

The development of the legislation has involved close collaboration with project partners, considering how elements of the French model could be adapted & incorporated within the Brighton & Hove agreements.

The outcomes to achieve, for beneficiaries, were as follows:

• 280 benefiting from vocational information & advice

• 180 tailored information advice & guidance sessions

• 50 securing CSCS certificates

• 90 achieving an accredited training certificate

• 190 jobs for workless residents

Activity 1

- Implementation of developers’ obligations to recruit & train residents on local construction sites

- Implementation of a labour clause in the region of Grande-Synthe & Dunkirk,

- Establishment of a local labour scheme for Brighton & Hove,

- Joint development of a planning framework document (Supplementary Planning Document - SPD) to ensure that planning obligations are sought & enforced (Section 106 Planning Agreements) on major development in the city. Agreements signed by the developer on the granting of planning permission & for requirements to be in place prior to commencement of development

Pps have been working together to share knowledge in this area.

Established functional protocols with local training centres & employers.

Meetings with construction employers of both cities to identify available job opportunities & required skills. Implementation of agreements to establish training programmes responding to employers' needs.

Targeted clients location via Job Centre Plus & other organisations



Activity 2

Training provision & clients mobilization via:

a) Communication campaigns on jobs promotion, meetings with companies on construction sites, jobs presentation, recruitment methods, career plans

b) Industry awareness, jointly organised by the region of Dunkirk & the City College of Brighton; work experience to have a representation of the construction jobs

c) Jobseekers support & identification of clients interested by construction sector & their barriers regarding employment

d) Jobseekers vocational assessments, assess resident's career & work aspirations, work experience placements in companies, school building sites

Activity 1
Establishment and adoption of an enforceable labour clause in both regions, through the developer obligations in Brighton& Hove and SPD, and through private market exploration in Grande-Synthe & Dunkirk where close contacts have been taken with private developers.
Monitoring systems were set up with all partners, through regular steering committees on both side to check the progress of the project.
A jointly agreed strategy was agreed to provide a range of measures designed to support residents into skills training and employment.
Detailed schedule of courses provided by Business Link to local construction companies in Brighton & Hove.
Detailed programme of construction training delivery courses in both regions.

Activity 2
865 supported residents (target: 370)
865 residents assisted through Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) sessions (target: 240)
234 residents achieving accredited training (target: 120)
147 residents gaining Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards (target: 50)
Partners have developed construction industry awareness sessions, training, a support method and practice guide. There has been regular communication through meetings,e mail or phone to monitor the progress of the project and newsletters on partners' websites were used to share information about this project
Activity 3
60 work placements offered to upskilled residents (target: 50), 541 job outputs (target: 140), 192 full time contracts of more than 6 months or long term contracts (target: 70), 180 temporary jobs of less than 6 months (target: 550), Elaboration of a common method of negotiation with companies

The target was residents aged 16 – 19, residents aged 19 + with special needs & residents aged 19+ in lack of a full National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

The outreach has specifically focused on those unemployed facing disadvantage in the labour market or discrimination when trying to access jobs (lone parents, residents with mental/physical disabilities, minority residents).

French partners managed to get a tailored training offer (average : 140 h), so beneficiaries could quickly get the basic skills to enter a worksite through the job opportunities provided by the labour clause. Most of the people job ready entered a study contract, 1/2 on the worksite, 1/2 time in training centre, to get an accredited skill.

Participants got skills & self-confidence, by working or training, & all the families improved their well-being, as participants started to feel useful & able after a long period of unemployment.

City College Brighton and Hove initially delivered a course format that had been highly successfully in the past. The college subsequently tested a model based on the more intensive French training offer.

Beneficiaries had access to Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) sessions through the Community Learning Team and the Local Employment Scheme which enabled them to make choices for employment, training or study.

BUFU Participants gained the confidence to try out their new skills at home, so family also benefited from an improved home environment.

The project had a target for the creation of new Planning legislation for Brighton & Hove, inspired by the French Inclusion Clause. This enabled ‘policing’ of developer obligations to provide opportunities work experience, training and employment

The project recruited within some of the most socially deprived areas of the city of Brighton & Hove.
Engaging potential beneficiaries within their communities, where there is peer scrutiny and pressure, is a testament to the strategies developed by the Community Learning Team.
Through interview it was possible to identify those with poor numeracy and literacy and encourage their participation in additional classroom sessions. For some, it has helped them overcome their fear and embarrassment. Some gained confidence and explored further learning or training.
Completing BUFU accredited training proved to them they could achieve goals. Also, demonstrating to family, friends, and neighbours it is possible to challenge the stereotype.
Additional classes in interview preparation, sector awareness and work experience on sites provided a reality check for participants as they gained an insight into expected behaviours, Health & Safety and the physical demands of construction work

Being able to gain information and compare investment in training and legislation (the Inclusion Clause) provided the impetus for Brighton & Hove City Council to adopt new Planning legislation regarding developer obligations in respect of employment and training. The time frame imposed by the project accelerated progression. It gave to French project partners a good sight of how the clause could be articulated on private markets.

The Local Employment Scheme coordinator and the French inclusion officer roles are comparable. Through exchange visits, monitoring of construction company performance was ably demonstrated by French partner organisations. This provided a solid guide as to how relationships are managed.

The range of training facilities in France was impressive. Seeing firsthand the focus on specific skills development, gave UK partners a lot to think about, and City College adopted the delivery model for the final two courses and will be used for future short courses, French training centers are planning now to offer this kind of short training in other trades,

Building on the success of the BUFU project, City College Brighton & Hove and Brighton & Hove City Council are working with other potential partners on 2 project applications.

Both have construction at their core, with a focus on sustainable (green) building methodologies and ‘green jobs’.

A Leonardo bid (Green Futures) has been submitted with partners in Germany, Turkey & Denmark, for motilities to explore the training provision being delivered using new building technologies to meet energy efficiency & sustainability requirements.

The 2nd application is through INTERREG Channel programme. The Build Green project will be in collaboration with French partners & will seek funding to deliver training & providing information & raising awareness on working in construction using sustainable building methods for individuals & SMEs

LP, partner in SUCCES project, has been invited by their partner Kortrijk to show BUFU project in an Interregional event on inclusion.

We are currently working on different ideas of a future project for Interreg next call.

Whether in respect of communication, engagement or training provision, there is a need to always be prepared to consider other options if initial decisions do not deliver desired outcomes.
Robust screening of candidates is essential to ensure that project beneficiaries are genuinely focused on progression into employment or other personal development.
Be prepared to manage expectations and disappointments for those not able to participate in the project due to over-subscription, in order to foster a positive attitude to the project despite being unable to benefit from it directly.
As soon as targets are decided, soon start the promotion actions, whatever the background can be.
Social mobility is not always seen as an advantage by the recently unemployed, yet it is seen as necessary by the most needy and willing to work. This is where we can detect the curiosity and openness of the participants.
Never assume that your model, whether that be for beneficiary engagement, training, management, promotional activities are the only choice. Be open to new ideas, offer praise in recognition, and learn to appreciate the context that others have to operate in, to understand behaviours

Some people have gained an accredited skill, or a first work experience, which allows them now to go on further within the labour market and in their life. Participants gained self-confidence and confidence in life too. This has influenced all the families, and their well being. Their immediate environment has changed.
Now their future is bright.

We are very interested to go on working together, and the clusters’ initiative from Interreg can be an interim before the next call for projects (Interreg V).

By providing skills to low level skilled people, and by giving them access to job opportunities, we have raised their interest in going back to normal “life”. Participants started to feel confident, and they are now ready to go on further in work, and in life. So they can now imagine their future, still get new skills if they want, and have a job. Their entire life has already changed and can still change more. Their immediate environment has been impacted, and their welfare too. This is sustainable, and has an impact on their country economic growth. In order to pursue these developments, we are very interested to go on working together, and the clusters’ initiative from Interreg can be an interim before the next call for projects (Interreg V).