Home > Project News & Descriptions > West Yorkshire > Community Economic Development (Priority 3) > HABITASS Beeston & Holbeck

HABITASS Beeston & Holbeck

HABITASS is the name of a project linking a number of groups providing training, learning and employment related activities for people living in Beeston and Holbeck.

On Thursday 26th January 2006, multi-cultural communities from Beeston & Holbeck came together to explore the free opportunities available to them locally at the first Aspire to Learn event held at the Hamara Healthy Living Centre & Building Blocks Centre on Tempest Road, Beeston, Leeds 11.

Over 230 local residents enjoyed an information day which hosted over 15 local training providers showcasing a wide range of training courses available in the heart of the South Leeds community.  Two of the Leeds City Council ward councillors for the area, Councillor Adam Ogilvie and Councillor David Congreve, attended the event and have jointly commented:

“There is obviously a great need within this community to address the issue of training and learning opportunities available to residents.  Having a range of local training providers here on one day all under one roof where residents can find out what is available to them is such an exciting project to be involved in.”

As part of the campaign a website has been created which is packed with information on courses and how to access them along with a comprehensive database of local training providers in the area.

Maggie Bellwood from Leeds City Council Beeston Hill and Holbeck Neighbourhood Renewal Team explained why this initiative is important for the local community:

 “Through this project we're able to give people that little extra bit of information, encouragement and help they need to take up the wide range of learning and training programmes that are on offer.  It's great that five of the local organisations offering these programmes have committed themselves to working more effectively.

I was very pleased to see how many people from all walks of life, all ages, families and young people too came to see what was happening last Thursday.

I hope that they'll now feel able to take the plunge into some of the activities we were able to promote, so that they can have a fairer crack at all the jobs on offer in Leeds' thriving economy.”

The project has received two awards of ERDF funding including £275,800 of ERDF Objective 2 funding and £235,660 of Objective 2 ESF which should exceed over half a million pounds by the end of 2006.  The project will help 45 people to access ICT, assist 8 organisations, and help 55 unemployed women secure employment, assist 22 people to achieve progress on vocational qualifications and create 4 new jobs.