Inspira has been confirmed as one of only ten Regional Delivery Partners in England and Northern Ireland taking the National Citizen Service forward for the next four years. Based in Cumbria, Inspira is a leading career guidance and personal development organisation, which helps young people and adults build skills for life and work.
Mark Bowman, Inspira’s Chief Executive, said: “Having been part of the pilot scheme and then delivering the programme since 2012, I am absolutely delighted that we will continue to deliver NCS for the next four years, and reach more young people than ever before.”
NCS is a once in a life time opportunity open to 16 and 17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland. The service takes place in the Summer as a three week programme focused on fun and discovery, plus 30 hours committed to community projects. In Spring and Autumn, the programme takes place over a two week period as well as the 30 hours of social action.
Impact studies so far suggest that young people return home more confident and prepared for adult life. Participants say they build work-readiness skills, such as teamwork and leadership, and are enthusiastic about being able to put the experience of a well-regarded programme on their CV.
Mr Bowman continues, “By taking part in NCS, 16 and 17 year olds across Cumbria and Lancashire will benefit from some great opportunities, including the chance to build valuable skills to be work-ready.”
As part of an integral network of organisations, Inspira will ensure that the programme is promoted across Cumbria and Lancashire, reaching as many young people as possible. In the Summer of 2018, it is expected that almost 5000 young people will be taking part in NCS across the two counties alone, while, nationally, the aim is for 1 million young people to be involved by 2020.
Dave Todd, Contract Manager for Inspira, said: “We already work with a number of excellent delivery partners in Lancashire. However, as numbers are increasing, we are also working on strengthening our supply chain. It is an exciting time for us all.”
Starting in January 2014, the extensive procurement process began with 16 open regional workshops, which involved more than 350 participants from over 250 organisations. From the 24 organisations which entered bids for a place on the initial framework, 17 of these were then approved as potential providers. In October, the ten successful organisations were announced as Inspira; The Challenge; Reed in Partnership; The Football League Trust; The Lincolnshire and Rutland Education Business Partnership; CXK Ltd; Engage4Life Ltd; Pertemps People Development; Ingeus, and a partnership of vInspired and National Youth Agency.
Doug Fraley, Director of Operations at the NCS Trust, said: “Following a rigorous bidding process, we are pleased to announce the selection of the ten successful organisations, all of whom submitted excellent applications, not only from a cost and quality perspective, but also from a position of experience and passion.”
For more information, please contact Inspira on 01931 711300.
