A NEW project to develop volunteers and provide business training has been launched in Bournemouth.

The Step Forward project, run by the Community Action Network, and supported by organisations including YTKO through its Outset and GetSet for Growth services in East Dorset, will see volunteers gain accreditation and training.

Since March 2020, The Community Action Network have helped more than 3,322 volunteers to find opportunities and helped to train them.

They also worked with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to coordinate the Together We CAN network – helping provide vulnerable and shielding people in the BCP area to receive food and medication.

Bournemouth Echo: CAN volunteers. Credit to CAN - Community Action Network

Now CAN is building on the success of its approach to volunteering and is now focusing on the new Step Forward project - which is funded by the European Social Fund and Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Partnership Manager at CAN Emma Lee said: “We have always helped connect volunteers to opportunities, but the past year with Covid has seen an incredible surge in people wanting to help their community.

“We have seen thousands of people join together to support the NHS roll out their vaccination programme and we are excited to be able to offer this new Volunteer Development programme.

“As part of this we have teamed up with Outset East Dorset service to signpost advice, so if one of our volunteers wants to start their own business or explore the possibility of self-employment, they can work with their team to make that dream a reality.”

This is just one example of over 22,500 businesses that have been assisted by YTKO’s services since 2006.

The businesses that have received support in that time, have also been proved to be fitter and better funded with over 76 per cent of new firms surviving more than three years and having raised around £71.3m of growth finance.

To join the Step Forward Volunteer Development programme, visit can100.org.