ESF Future Directions Event – 20/11/13 Val Jones – Social Enterprise North West (SENW) How can we help achieve the strategy for the Liverpool City Region 2014 – 2020? How can the Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise sector fit in this new strategy ?

How can we maximise what we are good at and link this to the strategy for growth? Perhaps if we look at just one of the strands for growth - “the port” and need for related jobs such as Fork lift truck drivers, Freight and Cargo work, on shore and off shore jobs, warehouse staff and office staff (to name but a few) What can we do to contribute to that gap in those jobs?

For me and I am sure that the LEPs will agree is what makes sense is for everyone in the Liverpool City Region area to have equal access to those jobs If employment increases, people stay, they contribute to the local economy and we all thrive and prosper. It would be great to encourage a commitment to the Living Wage for these jobs also. As we all know, some people have a longer journey to travel to become employment ready and need help to move to full employment.

The VC/SE Sector are good at engaging with some of our most vulnerable individuals and disadvantaged groups – working with them to provide the right support and training and for them to then be in a strong position to access for example, the port jobs and or apprenticeships. So who is actually going to deliver this work? There will definitely still be large contracts rather than contracts to small niche organisations. How do we make sure that we have a slice of the pie and not just the crumbs from the table? The sector has been on a learning curve for the last few years and many of you are becoming contract ready in your own right. But if you’re not! Then now is the time to get prepared.

Some of you will all ready be there, but for others you need consider that:- 1) You will need to EU Compliant, its bureaucratic, paper heavy and will be audited, its high risk and the risk is with you as a contractor. Network for Europe can assist here in terms of the benefits and risks of delivering with EU money. 2) Understand as an organisation what systems and policies you need to have in place CVS’s can help, or if your eligible access the Big Enterprise in Communities programme (we have a stand, go have a chat to the staff) 3) Need to join up to offer scale - start researching, find out who is doing what, where and can you discuss joint working; need to have a strong lead, an organisation that will take the risk / has tract record / be willing to be accountable. VOLA - Voluntary Organisations Learning Consortia - could be the perfect solution to larger scale bid, access to training and support in becoming contract ready

Or talk to me, I am happy to share our journey of going from a one employee £90K budget five years ago to managing a £7.7 million ERDF programme now. Need to be cash rich – it’s still payment by results Probably one of the most difficult issues, but we have some great social finance lenders in the North West and SENW in partnership with Social Investment Business are about to launch a local impact fund in January. We have a few social investment representatives here today, catch up with Chris Traynor I’m sure she will put you on the right track. Again if you want more information on the Local Impact Fund then talk to the SENW staff.

Individually you are all strong organisations, but you might end up with just a few crumbs - collectively I think you will be pretty amazing and hopefully end up a slice of the cake, even better still a cake. My Challenge to you is: go seek out potential partners that you could join forces with, look at organisations that compliment or maximise your work.

Val Jones Chief Executive Officer Social Enterprise North West Tel: Mobile Website: