NOCN Group Foundation opens second round of skills grants worth up to £15,000

NOCN Group has opened a new round of its Foundation's Skills Innovation Grant programme, offering grants of £500 to £15,000 for pilot training projects, with applications closing on 15 December and a webinar for applicants on 3 November.

The awarding body said the one-hour online session, hosted by Simon Renny, would start at 11am on Tuesday 3 November and cover the programme's aims, the funding available, eligibility, the application process and key dates. It will end with a live question and answer session.

According to NOCN, the programme backs pilot projects that test new approaches to skills challenges, including engaging learners, green skills retraining and using technology to improve learning and assessment.

Graham Hasting-Evans, CEO of NOCN Group, said of the first cohort of funded projects: "These nine projects reflect the ambition and creativity our sector needs."

Who can apply

The Foundation's programme page says applications are open to eligible NOCN Group customers delivering in England, Scotland and Wales. Every project must support learners aged 16 or above and align with at least one of the programme themes, one of which is engaging hard-to-reach young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Applications opened on 6 October 2026 and are submitted through the Foundation's GoodGrants portal. NOCN's timetable lists panel review in January and February 2027, grant awards announced in March or April 2027 and funded activity starting on 1 June 2027. Activity must run until no later than 31 August 2028 unless agreed on an exceptional basis.

The first funding round in 2025 also closed on 15 December and ran with the same three themes of NEETs, green skills retraining and technology.

The first grantees

NOCN Group introduced the Foundation in October 2025 as an initiative to trial, support and promote new approaches to skills delivery across the UK. It has since supported nine Skills Innovation Grant projects, and held its first awards evening in early March 2026 to recognise the funded organisations.

Several of those projects sit in construction, retrofit and green skills. According to NOCN, Bedford College used virtual reality simulations to train learners in renewable energy installation and sustainable construction, while Chameleon School of Construction received funding to create mobile retrofit training units and specialist teaching capacity.

The Sheffield College's Eco House project is building a low-carbon teaching environment and launching a Green Skills Advocate Programme. Frameworks Training is giving NEET young people practical training in modern methods of construction, designed with a contractor, and Volunteer It Yourself's Pickle Factory Retrofit project engages disadvantaged young people in retrofit work on a community venue.

Stephen Evans, Chair of the NOCN Group Foundation Committee, said: "The quality of applications has set a high benchmark and made this first year truly inspiring."

A contractor's experience

O'Halloran & O'Brien, a UK-based construction and civil engineering company, used its first-round grant for a Foundations to Futures programme, a pre-employment pathway with CSCS preparation and onsite experience, according to a case study published by NOCN.

The programme ran a two-week Introduction to Construction bootcamp covering health and safety and CSCS preparation for unemployed adults and NEET young people. The grant paid for training materials, delivery costs, venue hire, learner support, marketing and CSCS cards.

Tracy Botley, group training manager at O'Halloran & O'Brien, said the programme had enabled the company to create a practical pathway into construction for people who may not have considered the industry.

The company's advice to future applicants, as set out in the case study, is to solve a genuine skills challenge, work closely with employers and create clear progression routes.

NOCN Group describes itself as an international charity delivering skills solutions with social impact and one of the largest awarding organisations in the construction sector globally. The group includes the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS).

At the Foundation's launch, NOCN said it planned to add more grant programmes and awards in future. Applications for the current round close on 15 December.