The Diversity Project: a cross-sector initiative championing Veteran employment

Kelly Mullane is the Co-Chair of Northern Trust EMEA Military Network and leads the Veterans Workstream of the Diversity Project.

Kelly served in the British Army as a military linguist for 7 years, reaching the rank of Captain. As a Veteran she faced the same challenges as many others when transitioning from the UK Armed Forces in to a civilian career. Now, in addition to her role as a Senior New Business Consultant with Northern Trust, Kelly uses her position as Co-Chair of their Military Network to advocate for Veterans seeking roles in the financial industry.

Here she explains the Diversity Project and the skills Veterans can bring to the financial services industry.

The Diversity Project is a cross-company initiative championing a more inclusive culture within the savings and investment profession and I have the privilege of leading the Veterans’ Workstream as part of this initiative.

The Veterans Workstream aims to engage the investment industry by facilitating opportunities to learn more about the Armed Forces and to understand the strengths those with military experience can bring to organisations. We aspire to function as a conduit for organisations to attract retired military personnel to join our teams, where we are committed to supporting their development and progressing their careers.

Helping our veterans to successfully assimilate into the civilian world once they leave the military family is a key focus for this initiative. Our team is made up of ex-military personnel, who have since began a successful career in the Investment industry. We are all extremely passionate about helping employers to recognise the valuable, highly transferable skills veterans possess and support veteran employees in understanding how they can thrive in the financial services sector.

Find out more about the Diversity project Veterans Workstream.

You can also read Kelly’s blog to find out more about her transition from the armed forces and how Northern Trust have embraced the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.



Permit granted for next stage in Hoveton Great Broad restoration

Press release

The Environment Agency has granted a permit to place fish barriers across the entrances to Hoveton Great Broad in Norfolk as part of a restoration project.

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A public consultation took place earlier this year to consider an application by Natural England for a flood risk activity permit, which is required to install the permeable fish barriers.

The Natural England-led project aims to restore Hoveton Great Broad and Hudson’s Bay to clear water by using natural restoration techniques.

For the Broad to return to clear water, the amount of algae needs to be reduced. The project proposes to remove the majority of fish from the broad, which will allow water fleas to thrive, who will then feed on the algae, thereby cleaning the water. This is a well-recognised form of lake restoration called biomanipulation.

The barriers will be in place for up to 10 years, preventing the fish from entering the Broad while the ecology recovers.

After careful consideration of all the evidence and views submitted, the Environment Agency has agreed to grant the permit.

Simon Hawkins, Area Director of the Environment Agency in East Anglia, said: “We have scrutinised all the evidence and views provided and come to the conclusion to grant the permit.

“Once the project is finished, fish will be allowed back into the restored broad which will provide better habitat for a wider range of species.

“We will continue to work with Natural England and anglers to monitor any impact on the wider broadland fishery including surveying once the barriers are installed.”

Published 27 July 2020



Councils awarded £800,000 to build on digital advances made during pandemic

Press release

Communities across the country are set to benefit from better local services as councils receive a share of £800,000 for innovative digital projects.

computer on desk
  • Up to £120,000 given to 11 innovative council-led projects to better serve residents
  • The Local Digital Fund will use innovation to solve common problems facing councils as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic
  • This month marks the 2-year anniversary since the start of the Local Digital Declaration

Councils have responded to the coronavirus pandemic by rapidly introducing innovative new ways of serving their communities. This new funding will help ensure they continue to modernise and improve the way they deliver public services. 

Examples include £67,500 for Newcastle City Council to develop a tool which predicts whether parts of a city are overcrowded which will help understand whether social distancing can be followed.

Projects will also build on recent rule changes allowing councils to focus on letting people have their say on major planning applications online. Another project will expand on community and council networks to speed up local support for vulnerable people.

Local Government Minister Simon Clarke MP said:

Councils have made huge efforts to support their residents at this testing time – by housing rough sleepers quickly, supporting vulnerable people and ensuring services such as bin collections continue.

They have had to adapt their services from in-person to online, using technology to do so and I am determined we capitalise on this and use everything we have learned to improve efficiency and make services better for residents and communities.

That’s why we’re giving them £800,000 to build on the rapid digital innovation of recent months so that local communities continue to feel the benefits of more efficient public services.

The announcement comes 2 years since the start of the Local Digital Declaration, a pledge signed by over 220 councils and public sector bodies committing to driving efficiency and improvements in services through digital technology.

An important part of the pledge is to share their success with other councils, and to work collaboratively with them, so people living across the whole country can benefit.

Eleven projects have been awarded funding:

  • Camden Council will receive £80,000 to make it easier for local people and businesses to have their say online on things like major planning projects and town centre changes. This will build on changes to rules on 14 May to allow councils to publicise planning applications mainly on social media and other electronic means if they couldn’t do site notices, neighbour notifications or newspaper publicity. They will work with Middlesbrough Council.
  • South Gloucestershire Council and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames will jointly receive £80,000 to build on increased online access to public meetings which has been improved quickly due to social distancing measures stopping people attending in person. This will also cover citizens’ assemblies and statutory consultations. They will work withWest Berkshire Council, Oxford City Council, Staffordshire County Council, Northamptonshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Waltham Forest Council, and Milton Keynes Council.
  • Leeds City Council will receive £79,500 to develop a guide for all councils to ensure that people who may struggle with digital technology, especially those who are vulnerable of socially isolated, get the help they need. This will make it easier for them to use services and help with loneliness and local support. They will work with Croydon Council and Eastbourne Council.
  • Greater Manchester Combined Authority will receive £80,000 to develop a predictive modelling system to understand and prepare for the possible knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic on vulnerable children.
  • Newcastle City Council will receive £67,500 to develop a tool for people to use to know which parts of a city may be overcrowded and therefore where it would be difficult to adhere to social distancing measures. Their work to understand data could be used to help councils predict overcrowding.
  • Central Bedfordshire Council will receive £80,000 to build on successful data sharing between councils and voluntary community services that has helped to give vulnerable people support during the pandemic. Both groups would have better information about who needs support in their area and would be able to share information quickly and securely to help more people. They will work with the Greater London Authority, and Camden Council.
  • A group of councils will receive £120,000 to build on successful work to help vulnerable residents during the pandemic. They will use the information that’s been most useful to improve and speed up how councils identify vulnerable people so they can predict and give the right support. This merger of proposals will be worked on by Huntingdonshire District Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Bolton Council, Sedgemoor District Council, and Somerset’s councils.
  • East Riding of Yorkshire Council will receive £76,000 to build on what they’ve learned about changes to how staff have worked during the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing measures have meant dramatic changes to how we work, with large numbers mostly working at home for the first time and others changing when they work to keep the workplace safe. This will help to design future working patterns that maximise productivity, efficiency and wellbeing for council staff delivering public services. They will work with North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council and Hull City Council.
  • Manchester City Council will receive £80,000 to learn from how council teams – across housing, social care, healthcare and more – have worked together to support residents including some of society’s most vulnerable people.
  • Bolton Council will receive £23,000 to help ensure people who aren’t used to accessing council services online, and would normally prefer face-to-face contact by visiting council offices, are not stopped from accessing services. They will look at remote and self-service ways such as considering the introduction of sealed pods for face-to-face conversations.
  • Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will receive £34,000 to help them add extra functionality to a smartphone application they have developed that will help to prevent overcrowding on its beaches by telling people how busy sections are so they can do their bit to help ensure social distancing.
  • For more information, visit the Local Digital Collaboration Unit’s website: https://localdigital.gov.uk/c19-challenge/
Published 27 July 2020
Last updated 27 July 2020 + show all updates

  1. First published.



Call for proposals to implement a youth engagement project in Ukraine in 2020-2021

Call for Projects Proposals under the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Programme for 2020-2021

The British Embassy Kyiv is accepting project proposals from organisations to implement the “Youth engagement: citizens participation through enhanced social action skills and tools” project for the 2020-2021 implementation cycle.

Background

The UK remains committed to supporting Ukraine and its people on the road to democratic development, stability and prosperity. We are funding a range of peacebuilding and conflict management projects, alongside humanitarian assistance to enable Ukraine to deliver key reforms and strengthen democratic institutions.

We believe that active citizenship and engagement of young people in the life of their country at community level could increase Ukraine’s chances of building democracy and better future for its citizens.

This year the British Embassy Kyiv is seeking to support projects in Ukraine that focus on the following theme:

Youth Engagement: promote youth’s (school leavers, students and young professionals) active participation in the lives of their community and their country through contribution to the work of their local councils, enhanced social action and increased implementation of citizen-supported initiatives at community level.

Scope

Bidders should set out a proposal to:

  1. develop tools, mechanisms and programmes to enhance youth social activism and capacity to play leading roles in their communities
  2. facilitate processes for youth-initiated social and environmental action projects in local communities as well as their collaboration with youth in other regions of Ukraine
  3. deliver capacity building opportunities (workshops, seminars both face-to-face where possible and on-line) for practical skills development and platforms for youth networking and collaboration with their local authorities and communities
  4. disseminate best practices at the national level and engaging youth around Ukraine

Bidders should feel free to propose additional project components within the theme.

Institutional scope

The project would be expected to work with both civil society/local youth organisations and local governments and, where possible, build bridges and connections with both, leading to institutionalisation of relationships.  Successful bidders will need to set out their plan to identify and recruit project partners to work with.

Geographic scope

Bidders are asked to propose and justify a geographic scope for the project within the resource envelope set out in the Terms of Reference (ToR), we would not encourage only Kyiv centric proposals.

Preference will be given to proposals aiming to work with young people in the oblasts of Ukraine where there is evidence of the least engaged young people or higher level of migration from the oblasts. Such evidence should be provided in the project proposals.

Outputs

The expected project outputs are:

  1. opportunities available for informal and formal processes of youth involvement and collaboration with their local authorities for building more cohesive and resilient communities (including in the context of local elections); and
  2. opportunities for institutionalisation of youth engagement and enhancing their active citizenship through participation in local youth councils and life of their community

Requirements

Bidders should demonstrate in their proposals how their project will:

  • offer equal opportunities available for men, women, boys and girls to engage in social activism
  • ensure project delivery is conflict and gender sensitive
  • adapt activities to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on delivery including if lockdown restrictions are tightened.
  • contribute to GoU programme and strategy for youth development – State targeted Social Programme “Youth of Ukraine for 2021-25” and Strategy of Youth Policy until 2030 (in development)
  • apply innovative methods of youth engagement with local politics and current economic, security, social, health and environmental issues as decentralisation process develops in Ukraine

The project could consider small seed grants is support of youth activism and community projects implementation.

Deliverables

This will be a pilot project with the possibility of extension. Suppliers should deliver by 1 February 2021 a Scaling-Up Plan to inform the Embassy’s decision on whether to commission a project extension.

Suppliers should define further deliverables in their proposals based on the specifics of their proposed project.

Proposal guidance:

Pilot projects will be funded for 6 months from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021 (with the possibility of extension for another year).

The selected implementer must be able to receive project funding in GBP to an existing GBP account or open a GBP bank account for the project.

Estimated budget is up to £200,000. The final amount will be agreed with the selected implementer based on their proposal

Interested parties are required to submit the following documents: CSSF Project Proposal Template (ODT, 26.7KB) and CSSF Activity-Based Budget Template (ODS, 16.2KB).

Potential implementers may combine efforts and submit their project proposals in consortium of several organisations (implementers). Those could be both international and local organisations working in Ukrainian context.

Bidders are free to develop their own methodology and should set this out in their proposal.

Recommendations and requirements to project budgets are listed on tab 1 of CSSF Activity-Based Budget Template (ODS, 16.2KB).

Please note that we are unable to fund academic courses or research, English language tuition, the purchase of IT or other equipment under this Fund.

Eligibility

To be eligible, the proposals must:

  • demonstrate extensive experience in and understanding of working with local communities and particularly young people in Ukraine
  • understand the specifics of issues related to youth disengagement and political and economic challenges that influence youth participation in decision-making process affecting their life
  • demonstrate strong relationships with key stakeholders in youth engagement process
  • be legally able to carry out the activities indicated in the bid
  • demonstrate sufficient operational, human resources and expert capacities (local and/or international) to deliver expected results
  • be able to offer innovative methods that would contribute to achieving the set deliverables therefore innovative methodologies that make use of digital and other creative tools to deliver the objective are particularly welcome
  • the work should include a plan to take success to scale in a way that does not fully rely on government systems

Assessment

Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:

Criteria Points
Context and need for the project 20
Purpose and Theory of change 20
Realistic outcomes and outputs which are achievable within the funding period 20
Clear monitoring and evaluation procedures 10
Stringent risk matrix 10
Value for money and financial accountability procedures 10
Conflict and gender sensitivity 15
Communication and visibility 5
Implementer’s background and relevant experience (a brief history and examples of similar projects undertaken) and capacity to deliver (including team composition) 15
Demonstrating sustainability of project outcomes 5
Alignment of the project budget with requirements and recommendations listed in the CSSF activity-based budget (ABB) template 30
Total 160 points

Receipt of project proposals

  1. The submission deadline for bids is at 23:59 (Kyiv time) on 15 August 2020. Late submissions will not be considered. Proposals can be submitted at any time up to the indicated deadline. British Embassy Kyiv is not responsible for non-receipt. Proposals submitted before that deadline will remain unopened until then.
  2. When submitting, please indicate “Youth Engagement” in the subject line of your e-mail.
  3. Project proposals must be submitted using the standard forms only (CSSF Project Proposal Template (ODT, 26.7KB) and CSSF Activity-Based Budget Template (ODS, 16.2KB)). Please make sure your files do not exceed 5 MB in size. They must be free from any form of virus or corrupted contents; otherwise, you might not be able to submit your proposal.
  4. Project proposals must be submitted to the following email: cssf.programme@fco.gov.uk. Bidders must upload documents in standard Microsoft Office formats (Word, Excel).
  5. Only shortlisted bidders will be notified via email before or on 26 August 2020. The selected bidders will be asked to complete a Due Diligence Assessment (form will be sent to them) and will be invited for an online interview between 2 and 3 September 2020.
  6. British Embassy Kyiv seeks to finalise the contract award with the selected implementer by 25 September 2020.

Key dates

Submission deadline for bids 23:59 (Kyiv time) on 15 August 2020
Notification of shortlisted bidders 26 August 2020
Shortlisted bidders complete Due Diligence Assessment (DDA) By 17:00 (Kyiv time) on 31 August 2020
Online interview with shortlisted bidders 2 – 3 September 2020
Project start date 01 October 2020

Contacts

CSSF Programme team: CSSF.Programme@fco.gov.uk

Questions should be submitted to CSSF.Programme@fco.gov.uk by 15:00 (Kyiv time) on 03 August 2020.

Frequently Asked Question will be answered by CSSF Programme team and published on the official website (https://www.gov.uk/) by 07 August 2020.

Note

Bidding is competitive and it is likely that only one selected project will receive funding. The British Embassy Kyiv reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant(s) of the grounds of decision-making. Due to the volume of bids expected, we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.



Letter to Heads of centre – Summer 2020 results