Hi all,

3 x ECC/EGA FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES HIGHLIGHTED BELOW with tight deadlines, so don’t skip this read!!

I was pleased to read in FE Week last week that Pat McFadden has announced the ‘possibility’ of a bursary being provided to some low-income families, to avoid dissuasion from apprenticeship uptake, as EPN have been lobbying, with AELP,  for years for this, and more heavily so since the Milburn review: Minister eyes bursary to tackle apprenticeship penalty. Fingers crossed this is actually implemented!

Thank you to those who partook in the Foundation Apprenticeship discussion on Monday. It highlighted a considerable number of opportunities despite the challenges, so we are closer to exploring more coordinated, inclusive options in this space across Essex as a result of your input.

This will be our last newsletter for 6 weeks as we pause for summer break, but as promised, I will communicate any urgent info via newsflashes should the need arise. 

However, I hope to see some of you on 5^th August 10am – 11am at our next scheduled free compliance webinar: Confidence in Claiming Learning Support Funding, kindly being facilitated by Rupert from PAL. You should have received your invite with the link to join 🙂

I am away to Cornwall, family holidaying, from 8^th to 20^th August, so please don’t expect responses to comms during that time, but I will be checking my inbox occasionally throughout the remainder of summer break to respond to what I can.

Thanks for making my first 6 months such a pleasure working with you all. Hope everyone has an amazing next 6 weeks and see you all again in September!

Kx

ECC/EGA Skills and Innovation Capital Funds:
You should have seen Monday’s EPN newsflash on this opportunity. If you have a project in mind but need to partner to hit the funding threshold criteria, let me know and I will do my best to support lining you up with other members, as consortium bids are welcome.

I encourage you all to utilise the newly released LSIP LIVE DATA DASHBOARD to evidence the need for any submissions you make 🙂

Full criteria for the above fund are outlined in the Skills and Innovation Fund Prospectus here.

• Total fund: £900,000
• Grant sizes available: £10,000 – £250,000
• Capital funding only
• Available for ITPs, Colleges, and HEIs

Register your bid by downloading the bid response pack here and submitting it to skillsandinnovationfund@essex.gov.uk by Friday 14th August.

ECC/EGA Invite Expression of Interest for 2 commissions for delivery from Sept 26:

1. Entrepreneurial Skills and Enterprise Development Programme for Young People Aged 13–25 (Design and delivery, £70k contract value)
2. Functional Skills English and Maths Programme for Young People Aged 16–19 (£100k contract value, min 100 starts)

Click on the opportunities above for full details. A one-page summary for an EOI is deemed sufficient at this stage, so Louise encourages providers not to labour on these too much.

Direct any questions and Email Expressions of Interest to Louise Fry – Employability and Careers Lead, louise.fry@essex.gov.uk by Friday 24th July 2026

Published: Greater Essex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) 26-29
The Greater Essex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) 26-29 was officially published last Friday and has received endorsement from Government Ministers.

This is a significant milestone for Greater Essex, setting out a clear strategy to align local skills provision with employer needs and support the development of a skilled workforce for local jobs.

Further details, including the full LSIP report, action plan and the now LIVE Data Dashboard (long anticipated since demonstrated by Jo Giles at previous EPN meetings), can be found on the Essex Chambers of Commerce website:
Local Skills Improvement Plan Report | Essex Chambers of Commerce

Jo Giles will support a deeper exploration into the LSIP for members at our September 2026 EPN meeting.

You will see EPN are key partners named within the action plan to support change so please highlight to me, any ideas you have to support those actions, or any individual interest in being involved in these actions and I will do my best to link you into future initiatives/discussions as we work together with LSIP, FEDEC, Local Authority colleagues and Employer stakeholders to bring this plan to life over the next 3 yrs!

NCFE ‘AI for the Workplace’ qualifications coming soon
An NCFE Award and Certificate in AI for the Workplace are due for launch on 2^nd Sept 2026! View these drafted quals here.

I am hoping to organise for NCFE to come and talk to us more about these in our September meeting. Recognising these units/quals could be useful for our internal staff. There has been regular call-out in the FE Sector for more CPD for non-teaching/support staff, so this could be a good opportunity for your own staff, as well as some of you exploring adding these quals to your provision portfolios.

For even more, soon-to-be-released quals from NCFE, click here!

Monthly update from NOCN Group:
Please click here for the latest round-up from NOCN of key updates, new qualifications, and the latest developments from across the sector.

Targeted Employment July Updates:
View the latest Targeted Employment Newsletter online at https://essexcc.pagetiger.com/TEnewsJuly26  or via PDF here.

This edition focuses on how the summer holidays can support young people with SEND to build independence, confidence, and aspirations as part of their Preparing for Adulthood journey.
Highlights include:

• A look back at United in Diversity 2026: Pathways to Potential and the positive impact of employer engagement activities
• Practical advice for families supporting young people transitioning to post-16 education, including travel confidence and independence skills
• Local summer activities, holiday programmes, and wellbeing resources available across Essex
• Success stories from young people who have progressed into paid employment following Supported Internships
• Information on supported learning, apprenticeships, employment support, and upcoming Preparing for Adulthood events

Self-Assessing Brilliantly (SDN Free Webinar):
31st July: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | With Lou Doyle

Through practical examples and reflection, Lou will explore how providers can build an evidence-informed approach to self-assessment that supports confident decision-making and continuous improvement throughout the year.

You’ll hear:

• What effective self-assessment looks like in practice
• Developing evaluative judgements backed by evidence
• Engaging teams in a consistent approach
• Using self-assessment to drive focused quality improvement planning
• Making SAR reflect the reality of your provision
• The opportunities and risks of using AI in the self-assessment process

Can’t make the live session? Register anyway and get sent the recording.
Register HERE!

EGA Weekly Funding Bulletin:
Last week’s bulletin highlights a range of opportunities across space and satellite technologies, defence innovation, deep tech, advanced connectivity, creative industries, health research, agriculture and community development. View the bulletin here.