GECKO PROGRAMMES LIMITED

Gecko Programmes Ltd is based in Wolverhampton (Black Country) and with facilities in Birmingham. The West Midlands is the centre of operations, but we have activities throughout England. Established in 2009, with a mission to work young people to assist their transition from education to the world of work, we are now working across the West Midlands and also across Europe. We develop organisations and people, whether in work or not. We hold contracts to deliver services for UK Government Departments; The ‘Work Programme’ for Dept for Work and Pensions, and ‘Skills Support for the Workforce’, Skills Support for Redundancy’ and the ‘Adult Education Budget’ for the Education and Skills Funding Agency. As a consequence, we support workless people back into employment, providing then with learning that is both non-formal and formal. We are one of the UK National agency’s largest provider of KA1 VET Mobilities for individuals and staff, and are currently coordinating or partnered in 9 KA2 projects in the fields of VET, Youth and Adult Education. Through our UK and EU connections we have experience of designing and delivering capacity-building programmes. We have trained trainers from the UK and EU nations in entrepreneurship, mentoring, non-formal workshop design, facilitation skills, delivering cultural workshops, enhancing employability, and supporting individuals to plan and manage their personal development. We have extensive experience of curriculum development. Gecko leads a consortium of seven colleges in the West Midlands, working together to promote and provide transferable skills to young people transiting from education to work. We coordinate a KA2 Strategic Partnership with nine EU partners that has created learning materials that enhance intrapreneurship and teamwork (EU2020 priorities). We have also coordinated a KA205 Strategic Partnership to develop entrepreneurial skills in youth artisans (Youth Talent to Market). We work with the local Chamber of Commerce and other bodies to deliver entrepreneurial and business development programmes on a bespoke basis to enterprises and their employees. In the main, we work with the creative and voluntary sectors. Our regular activities are to: - deliver both formal and non-formal training to learners in the UK. - provide learner and staff Mobility opportunities, sending to our partners in the EU. - receive learners from the EU for Mobilities - develop innovate curricula and methods.