Stockport VCFSE Work & Skills Fund Awards Six Local Organisations to Drive Inclusive Employment Opportunities
Innovative projects will tackle systemic barriers and empower disadvantaged communities across Stockport
Sector 3 is proud to announce the recipients of the Stockport VCFSE Work & Skills Fund, a pioneering initiative launched to tackle employment inequalities and create inclusive opportunities for disadvantaged people across the borough. The fund supports innovative projects that aim to break down systemic barriers and empower individuals to access meaningful work.
About the Stockport VCFSE Work & Skills Fund
Launched by Sector 3 in partnership with Stockport Council, the fund is designed to address employment inequalities by supporting projects that create pathways into work for those facing disadvantage. The fund plays an important role in Stockport’s Live Well initiative, joining up public, private and VCFSE sectors to support residents to ‘live well’. It is part of a wider commitment to making Stockport a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of background or circumstance.
Six organisations have been awarded funding to deliver transformative projects between November 2025 and March 2026:
Signpost Stockport for Carers
Project: Think Carer - Carer Champion Workplace Training
Signpost for Carers want every workplace in Stockport to be somewhere unpaid carers feel understood and supported. The 2021 Census found there are at least 30,000 unpaid carers in Stockport, but the true number is likely much higher. Too often these carers remain hidden in the workplace, struggling silently until the pressure forces them to give up their jobs. That loss is devastating for families and damaging for our local economy.
Think Carer - Carer Champion Workplace Training is a CPD Accredited course for employers, supporting carers & young people (16+) NEET (Not in Education or Training) or at risk of NEET. The training is designed to give people the confidence and tools to identify and support carers in the workplace.
Bethan Kelly, CEO of Signpost Stockport for Carers said:
“We’re delighted to have been awarded this funding, which recognises the vital role that unpaid carers play in our community and the challenges many face balancing work and caring.
Our Think Carer, Carer Champion Training will equip businesses with the tools to identify and support carers in the workplace, helping staff stay in employment, improving wellbeing, and building more compassionate, inclusive workplaces across Stockport.”
The Garden House Marple Charity
Project: ELEVATE
This initiative offers structured volunteering placements, financial literacy sessions, and employer engagement to support disadvantaged young adults in transitioning into paid employment.
Elevate will work with people with disabilities/ long term health conditions; care leavers; those with experience of the criminal justice system; NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) / at risk of NEET.
Hannah Hodgson, CEO of The Garden House Marple Charity, said:
"We are excited to be part of this innovative Trailblazer project tackling systemic and often hidden barriers to employment for disadvantaged young adults in Stockport.
The fund will enable additional structured placement opportunities at The Garden House Marple, with dedicated support and mentoring focused on exploring real life work opportunities beyond placement, including support for families to address the fears and challenges around making that step.
Working collaboratively with Stockport employers, our project aims to elevate thoughts and ideas around what positive transition to real work opportunities could look like for disadvantaged young adults and their families and create a bridge to paid employment."
Rising Stars NW CIC
Project: Stockport Cultural Trailblazers
Stockport’s Underbanks and wider town centre are growing rapidly, with new venues, bars and cultural spaces emerging.
Tapping into this growth, Stockport Cultural Trailblazers is a mentoring programme for young people aged 18–30 who are NEET, care leavers, or ex-offenders.
The group will participate in a five-month Events Management Training and Work Experience Programme, acquiring the practical and professional skills necessary to enter Stockport’s events industry.
They will visit a range of Stockport venues to meet owners, learn about their challenges, and identify opportunities to bring new audiences and music styles into the town’s nightlife, helping to increase footfall and spending in the local economy.
Drywave Recovery CIC
Project: Pathway to Purpose – The Employers Bridge
Combining fitness, creativity, and mentoring, this project supports young people facing mental health challenges or substance misuse. The project will enable each participant to move towards a personal “pathway to purpose,” like volunteering, employment, or further education.
The project will help young people take the next step towards meaningful work by inviting local employers to join an evening of collaborative networking, sharing best practice in inclusive recruitment, and receiving a free take-home toolkit of insights and resources co-created by the group.
Both young people and employers will share their own “hero’s journeys, ” alongside showcases of entrepreneurial volunteer projects. Together, these stories aim to help close and demystify the gap between employer and employee and inspire inclusive recruitment.
The Goodness Collective CIC
Project: Empowering Wavers
A 12-week programme supporting women facing multiple barriers to economic independence.
The initiative focuses on supporting women to rediscover their skills and voice AND equipping employers and community partners to respond to women's needs. By combining lived experience from their leadership and delivery team with practical action and partnership, Empowering Wavers, aims to reshape how our local economy values and supports women’s contribution for the long term.
PIE: Pursuing Individual Excellence
Project: Skill Up Stockport
Stockport’s VCFSE sector is a thriving and growing space, delivering essential community services and social value. Yet many young people remain unaware of the diverse career paths and opportunities it offers. This project aims to change that, inspiring young people to see the sector as a place to build fulfilling, long-term careers, while helping organisations attract, support, and retain the next generation of talent.
PIE will work with key partners to co-design and test a replicable model of sector-based work experience and volunteering for young NEET and/or care experienced people, ultimately with the aim of enhancing employability.