What We Do

NTCA has control of an annual £25 million Adult Education Budget (AEB) devolved to the area from government. AEB is being used to help upskill people into good work and further training.

NTCA currently fund providers to deliver a range of provision targeting employed and unemployed residents to upskill in English, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), digital skills, maths and full Level 2 and Level 3 vocational programmes required for work.

NTCA has Investment Fund projects to the value of 5 million for specific training for work in the creative, digital and green sectors. These are exciting opportunities for residents to engage with bespoke skills provision in both growth and specialist sectors for the North of Tyne area.

Green skills was identified as priority sector and we are proud to partner with local providers on four exciting Green skills programmes. 

Multiply is a national programme funded from UKSPF and is designed to deliver adult numeracy skills. NTCA’s Multiply programme will focus on three delivery themes: Community Engagement, Family Learning and Numeracy Skills for the Workplace.

Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s National Skills Fund investments helping adults to gain the skills that are sought by employers, so real skills that are needed to gain or advance in a specific employment sector.

NTCA has £9Milion in DfE Skills Bootcamps funding for 2023/24 and have invested in the following sectors: Construction, Culture and Events, Digital, Green Skills, Logistics and Technical.

NTCA has Investment Fund projects to the value of 5 million for specific training for work in the green, digital, and creative sectors. These are exciting opportunities for residents to engage with bespoke skills provision in both growth and specialist sectors for the North of Tyne area.

NTCA is committed to giving every child in our region the opportunity to thrive. That’s why in Summer 2021, NTCA’s Cabinet approved two pilot programmes, the Child Poverty Prevention Pilot and the Education Improvement pilot for the North of Tyne.

NTCA recognises the importance of children having access to world class environmental education and are exploring ways to support our schools to provide this. Teachers can access and undertake UN accredited online courses on climate change through UN CC:Learn. These courses are free to enrol and provide certificates of completion to learners that obtain a passing grade of 70% or more on completion of the courses.

The Education Improvement Programme for the North of Tyne is delivered as part NTCA’s Education, Skills and Inclusion portfolio priority and exemplifies a commitment to thinking creatively and progressively about the widest implications of an inclusive economy.

NTCA is funding several projects which will prepare young people for the economic opportunities of the future.

BOOST is a housing-led employability project supporting social housing tenants in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland, delivered by some of the region’s largest housing providers. The project is delivered until March 2025.

The Employability and Skills Programme supports an inclusive economy in the North of Tyne area by enabling good quality and locally tailored employment support interventions. This programme ended on 31 December 2023.

The Employment Partnerships project aims to improve co-ordination of employability provision in and across the North of Tyne constituent authorities. Supporting job seekers and employers across the region, and helping move people into sustained, high-quality employment.

Empower Works supports participants who are autistic and/or neurodivergent, those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and people experiencing mental ill-health to identify and tackle barriers to finding employment.  Spanning the Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland area the project aims to encourage those who wish to enter the labour market move closer to employment. The project is delivered until March 2025. 

New Start is a supported work placement scheme offering career progression ‘Startup’ roles, giving candidates the opportunity to get a ‘foot in the door’ with jobs they may have never considered or been considered for. The project is delivered across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland, until March 2025.

The Small Grant Programme, managed by Rocket Science, has provided grants to 16 community-based projects to engage and support economically inactive residents across the North of Tyne area. The projects, aimed at fostering community engagement, are uniquely designed to support residents on their path to employment. 

Northern Directions engages young people aged 16-24 in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland to progress into the labour market, further education and training. The project is delivered until March 2025.

Open Doors: Beyond Barriers will support socially excluded economically inactive and unemployed residents living in the North of the Tyne to remove barriers to employment, build confidence and motivation to work, and progress with basic skills. The project is delivered until March 2025.

Led by the North East Autism Society, Progress NE is a project providing specialist employment support to neurodivergent residents across the whole North of Tyne area until 31 March 2025. 

The Return to Work Carers Project helps residents who are 16 years old or over and have ongoing caring commitments, and either want to find work or want a change of employment to better suit their caring responsibilities, to access a range of route-ways into local jobs

Solid Foundations provides support to economically inactive residents living in Northumberland, who are experiencing a range of barriers to employment until 31 March 2025.

A project providing coordinated employer-led support to match job seekers in Newcastle to employers’ vacancies. The project is led by Newcastle City Council with Building Futures East, JET, Newcastle United Foundation, Prince’s Trust, Reviving the Heart of the West End and Winnovation as delivery partners. The project is delivered until March 2025.

The North of Tyne Union Learn project expands the number of union representatives helping low-skilled workers access training, in order to develop their skills and confidence.

This project provides relational mentoring to economically inactive residents who are over the age of 16 and live in the Newcastle and North Tyneside areas, to help them move towards and into employment. The project will deliver until 31 March 2025.

Working for Carers supports unpaid carers aged 16+ in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland to enable them to move towards employment, as well as carers who are in work to sustain work and achieve career progression. The project is led by North Tyneside Carers’ Centre with Newcastle Carers and Carers Northumberland as delivery partners. The project is delivered until March 2025.

Works 4U is led by Back 2 Work Complete Training with North Tyneside Council, Groundwork North East & Cumbria and Humankind as delivery partners. Works4U provides intensive holistic support, delivered in hyper-local community settings, with activities that are individually paced and act as a building block to progression. Activities are focused on routes to employment, […]

The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Small Grants Programme funded 10 experienced organisations across the region to deliver targeted, expert provision for disadvantaged young people not in work and not accessing mainstream employment support. The programme was developed as part of the wider Youth Employment Partnerships.

NTCA are serious about meaningful co-production and co-design, and we are passionate about the use of lived experience in policy making.

NTCA is investing in the creation of three Community Partnerships with a focus on places with high levels of deprivation, low levels of civic action and an under-resourced VCSE Sector.

The Volunteering and Social Action Programme, a cornerstone of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Community Programmes and Partnerships activity, is set to inject £1 million into fostering impactful volunteering and social action initiatives across the North of Tyne Combined Authority area. 

The North of Tyne is the first combined authority in England to adopt a wellbeing framework to drive a better economy – one focused on growing everyone’s wellbeing.

The Wellbeing Framework Data Dashboard monitors changes to the wellbeing indicators over time, to help inform local decisions and policy making.