Working together for the region
We want to see an excellent quality of life for all – and we’re committed to working with partners to help achieve that through implementing the Northwest’s Regional Economic Strategy. Here’s how we’re making a contribution:
Objective: Sustainable consumption and production
Groundwork manages and is the lead delivery partner in the regional ENWORKS partnership. ENWORKS improves business competitiveness and environmental performance throughout the North West working with over 1000 businesses each year.
Objective: Tackle lack of basic skills/qualifications
Groundwork delivers basic skills training in many areas of the region to adults on our employment schemes and to young people. We’ve developed and championed the NCFE Foundation Certificate in Sustainable Development. Groundwork delivers over 15,000 weeks of training every year in the region.
Objective: Develop skills of the future workforce
Our employment programmes are helping to fill skills gaps in areas including construction and neighbourhood management. Over 1000 young people have passed through the graduate Voluntary Project Assistant programme and moved on into jobs in the environmental and regeneration sectors.
Objective: Deliver high quality employment sites and premises
Often we don’t need to create new employment sites – we need to rescue the performance of existing business parks making them suitable for 21st century buinesses. Groundwork’s Green Business Park programmes work to make employment areas sustainable both for businesses and the wider environment.
Objective: Secure new uses for brownfield land
Groundwork has over two decades of experience in transforming derelict land into useful community assets. That experience encompasses engaging and involving local people, producing area strategies and masterplans and managing implementation. Groundwork is a partner in the region’s Newlands derelict land programme and has led the development of ELWOOD, East Lancashire’s community forestry programme.
Objective: Reduce areas of housing market failure
Performance of local housing markets is as much about neighbourhood image and the failure of community pride as it is about quality of housing stock. Groundwork carries out both large and small scale environmental improvements creating new and innovative community spaces as part of housing stock refurbishment programmes and estate redesign. Our youth programmes can help to cut anti-social behaviour and create communities people want to live in.
Objective: Support cleaner, safer, greener communities
Groundwork receives funding from the government to help us develop local environmental action to do just that. We are one of the region’s key tools in progressing the liveability agenda.
Objective: Develop community cohesion
Local public spaces can be an area of conflict between different communities – but also offer potential in bringing people and the generations together. We use the environment as a tool to connect communities, build cohesion and strengthen neighbourhood bonds.
Objective: Reduce health inequalities and social exclusion
Groundwork’s work in communities directly tackles the wider determinants of health. We also provide opportunities for people to make healthy lifestyle choices through specific projects around increasing physical activity, healthy eating and improving mental well-being. Groundwork has led the public health community in the development of the Target: Well-being initiative.
Objective: Realise and nurture the natural and built heritage assets
The region’s natural heritage must be protected and enhanced. Groundwork natural heritage projects include parks restoration, enhancing features of canals and waterways and using industrial heritage to enhance and promote local environments while engaging local people in positive community activity.
Objective: Improve the physical environment
The objective at the heart of our work. From inner city terrace through urban fringe to rural areas, Groundwork seeks to improve the physical environment for people and prosperity. We develop green infrastructure and leave a lasting legacy.
Objective: Link workless people and vacancies to improve employment rates
Groundwork employment programmes seek to bring benefits for individuals and the wider community. We provide support, training, work experience and seek to tackle the barriers preventing employment.
Objective: Improve the health of (potential) workers and reduce the number of incapacity benefit claimants
We deliver a number of programmes and courses that aim to give people with long-term health conditions new confidence to move into work and more fulfilling lives.
