Major investment to tackle unemployment in South Yorkshire

13th January 2025

Employment opportunities in South Yorkshire are set to be boosted by a major new partnership between rural broadband provider Quickline and the region’s Community Foundation.

Quickline is investing in a new QFutures Community Fund with South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF).

It will award grants to projects and organisations addressing unemployment amongst the 30+ age category in the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield areas.

A further investment by Quickline will also fund the continuation of SYCF’s hugely successful Moving On Up programme.

Launched three years ago as a pilot project, Moving On Up is focused on improving the employability, skills and prospects of people in South Yorkshire, aged 30 and under.

Quickline provides fast, reliable and affordable broadband to over half a million homes in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The collaboration with SYCF forms a key element of Quickline’s extensive social values programme which the company has committed to as part of the UK government’s Project Gigabit.

SYCF is the largest grant giving charity in South Yorkshire and in the last year awarded £1.7m to more than 400 groups across the region.

Michelle Dickinson, head of philanthropy and programmes for SYCF, said: “The employment landscape remains a growing problem for UK employers, educators and, particularly, our young people.

“SYCF’s vision to inspire and prepare people for the fast-changing world of work mirrors Quickline’s own ambitions to address unemployment in the region.

“Working together, with a shared passion for making a difference, this new partnership will build on the huge success of our Moving On Up programme by providing even more opportunities to connect people with businesses by helping remover barriers to employment.”

SYCF’s Moving On Up (MOU) programme was launched following the Community Foundation’s 2021 Vital Signs research report, which highlighted employment and employability as a priority for people in South Yorkshire.

To date, the innovative, multi-year grants programme has awarded almost £300,000 to 24 groups and organisations across the region. Successful groups were allocated up to £15,000 - up to £5,000 a year over three years to address unemployment for young people aged 14 to 30 years.

Julie Holmes, Social Values Manager at Quickline, said: “At Quickline, we’re passionate about more than just connecting people to broadband—we’re committed to connecting communities to opportunities. 

“Our investment in South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation reflects our dedication to tackling unemployment and supporting those who need it most in the region. By working with SYCF, we’re helping to create brighter futures for both young people and adults, driving real, lasting change where it’s needed most.”

Yorkshire-based Quickline recently secured four contracts under the UK government’s Project Gigabit programme, which, on completion, will connect almost 170,000 homes and businesses to full-fibre broadband in hard-to-reach rural areas across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

As a result of the investment, Quickline will also expand their commercial network to a further 190,000 in these rural communities. 

For more information visit www.quickline.co.uk or www.sycf.org.uk.