The Executive Mayor's Employment Fund (MEF) is a £500,000 investment to tackle Croydon’s employment and skills challenges by supporting voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations and specialist delivery partners
MEF will commission a suite of employment-related services that support residents to enter, re-enter or progress in work, education or training.
Services should provide a structured offer that combines personalised employability support with access to training, work-related activity, employer engagement and in-work support, so that participants are not only helped into opportunities but are also supported to sustain and progress.
It will be procured as a single programme structured into five pathways or lots, covering youth provision, care-experienced young people, residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness, veterans, and a small grants and community events strand designed to strengthen engagement and progression routes.
Funding Priorities
The Mayor’s Employment Fund is organised into five themed lots, each focusing on a different priority pathway.
- Lot 1 focuses on young people aged 16–24 who are not in education, employment or training, or who are at risk of disengaging. It will fund youth-friendly, hyperlocal support that helps young people build confidence, gain skills, access training and apprenticeships, and move into good quality jobs.
- Lot 2 is dedicated to care-experienced young people, recognising that they often face disrupted education and additional barriers.
- Lot 3 is aimed at adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including those in temporary accommodation, hostels, refuges or rough sleeping.
- Lot 4 is focused on veterans and will provide a tailored offer to help them translate military experience into civilian jobs.
- Lot 5 is a small grants and community events pathway, designed to support creative, hyperlocal projects run by VCFS and community groups.