Coventry Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) Economic development within local neighbourhoods.
This national initiative included a pilot Inspire and Engage strand. It used a team of locally based workers, known as Work Mates, to engage with and support individuals within the most deprived neighbourhoods.
They provided flexible and responsive support to enable individuals most distant from the labour market to access the most appropriate services, whilst strengthening their self-esteem and confidence to achieve their goals.
The Work Mates employed community development techniques, and worked closely with local community and voluntary sector organisations as well as other statutory sector players.
ADEPT developed a tailored training and development programme for the Work Mates, including more intensive units for two trainees.
Adept worked on developing the skills and knowledge necessary for individuals to engage with and support local communities into an accredited certificate.
Although the current recession has put sharp extra strain onto local communities and created even more pressing and urgent need for effective interventions to soften and defray the impacts of widespread job losses, funding for this programme has now been suspended while the local authority reviews its priorities.