Future Proofed Workforce - Specialist Providers - Phase 2

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (the Council) is looking to establish a contract as part of The Future Proofed Workforce Programme (FPWP) - with a second cohort of specialist providers to improve workforce productivity for SMEs in Barnsley.

As the impact of the COVID pandemic remains broadly unknown and as recovery was expected to be very different in each sector and community, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council put in place a Renewal Action Plan for Barnsley; taking a coordinated approach to support businesses to recover from COVID-19. Within that Action Plan, the Council has approved funding for their Employment and Skills service to design and develop a bespoke programme of support for local businesses - to help them maximise the productivity of their workforce as we progress through this current period of recovery.

Eligible businesses will undergo a diagnostic assessment with the first consultant to work through the key issues affecting their workforce. Following the assessment, each business will have their own action plan with priorities for further work that will be designed against 1 or more of the 5 areas outlined below: • Organisational Human Resources • Leadership and Management • Workforce Mapping • Workforce Development and Culture • Employee Mental Health The specialist providers will deliver against the action plan to facilitate a range of training workshops and/or meetings to enable the businesses to reassess and improve their workforce productivity. This project is one of seven Prioritised Recovery Projects, part of a £2 million economic investment, funded by Barnsley Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. As part of Barnsley's Economic Recovery Action Plan, these projects will help the local economy bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme aims to support people, businesses, traders, charities or community organisations to safeguard existing jobs while creating new jobs and business opportunities