The Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland continues to develop training services and specific programmes of activities that have a particular emphasis on skills and learning.
These will build on our current community empowerment initiatives for the benefit of our communities, and allow us to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to become successful candidates, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Coalfields Research Programme
The programme will equip and support organisations in Bo’ness and Dalmellington to undertake small-scale research projects or targeted evidence-gathering in support of their self-evaluation plans. This might include:
· Researching new opportunities
· Gathering feedback from service users
· Consulting with the wider community
· Finding out about best practice from elsewhere
· Carrying out small-scale evaluation fieldwork
It will support participatory research projects, focused on gathering useful evidence while building the research capabilities and tools available to participating organisations.
Coalfields Training
We continue to develop our training services and ‘offer’ to our communities in Scotland with a particular emphasis on skills and learning that will build on our current community empowerment initiatives. We equip learners with the knowledge and skills to become successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible citizens.
Through our SQA accredited centre status we will offer:
· SQA Volunteer Award
· SQA Steps to Work
· Personal Development Award in Community Involvement
Additionally, we are registered to take Individual Training Accounts.
Coalfields Regeneration School
The Coalfields Regeneration School assists any organisation/groups, social enterprises, voluntary/community groups, which are starting to think about or has started generating income. The school will:
· Develop skills and confidence to turn enterprising ideas into reality as a way of making your coalfields community more vibrant, active and sustainable.
· Be interactive and practical
· Run over six sessions
Coalfields Enterprise Support
From the Coalfields Training and Enterprise Hub, which is a comfortable space for entrepreneurs, we have a range of skills and experience to support the development of voluntary and community organisations as well as social enterprises, such as:
· Community consultation – from deciding who and what to consult on, through planning and facilitation of consultation, to understanding the results and identifying priorities for the future using our Peer Research Programme
· Advice on implementation of plans
· Business planning support for aspiring community enterprises and developments
· Community capacity building
· Support for business start-up, development and long-term sustainability
· An independent critical friend, mentor and mediator
Evaluation
In addition to practical help we aim to offer ‘in kind’ and financial support through the following approaches:
· A free hot-desk facility for use by social entrepreneurs from the Longannet Communities for up to 3 months after which a phased payment schedule can be discussed
· Regular Coalfields Business Lunches.
· Offer small grants between £500 and £3,000 to new or fledgling Coalfields Social Enterprises that will provide initial ‘start-Up’ funding