noLimits

NoLimits is made up of four Pennine Lancashire councils - Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle and Hyndburn - and a variety of support organisations which have joined forces to create the Ten Great Goals:

• School's Out
• Enterprise Challenge
• Women Mean Business
• Enterprise Havens
• Shooting Stars
• Helping Hands
• Street Cred
• Guardian Angels
• Eureka
• Constructing The Future.

Constructing The Future will provide:

Business support, targeting a range of local SME companies annually who will gain access to a range of company development services. The front line companies will focus upon the construction supply chain activities including not only construction contractors but professional services including creativity and design, materials and component manufacturers and associated industries. These activities include:

• Achieving greener and more sustainable practices by working towards a recognised and accredited environmental management system using a fast track self accreditation facility
• Receiving one to one business development activities
• Receiving additional access to seminars and business development events that focus upon best value and partnership working which are specifically focused upon the needs of SMEs
• Focusing upon development for SMEs and mirco-businesses which are generated from the BME community, by young people and by women, extending Elevate’s work which is being undertaken in these areas.

All companies included in this process will gain entry to a directory which profiles their qualities which will be promoted to local developers across the sector including HMR, LIFT, BSF and other private developers.

Apprenticeships and skills, providing males, females, under-represented groups and mature returners with access to a learning programme which will include an enterprise skills unit as part of their learning experience. We will provide an integrated approach linking the key Pennine Lancashire Colleges through themes including construction, regeneration skills, customer service management and business skills. In particular we will provide:

• Mentoring to females and BME candidates to an NVQ2 using our successful Youthbuild project including key learning skills training, interview training and curriculum vitae writing
• Access for young persons to an NVQ award in the named areas with focus upon enterprise skills training
• Access for mature learners to re-enter education and build up their qualifications to aid people into work and into business activities
• Access for all learners to enter our jobs brokerage agency and promote their skills to potential employers.

Contract clauses which ensure that regeneration brings real social benefits. Elevate has made significant, ground-breaking progress in developing and using innovative contract clauses for construction. As part of the nolimits project we will seek to promote the adoption of similar clauses to other developers and construction initiatives via awareness seminars and partnership working with Elevate. We aim to increase the awareness and adoption of skills such as environmental design including carbon management, performance management and particularly the utilisation of local employment and the local supply chain across the regeneration sector.

The support above is also available to individuals who wish to start their own new construction companies.

For further information contact Donna Marshall telephone 01254 304571, mobile 07773 046644, E-mail donna.marshall@elevate-eastlancs.co.uk