Serco wins big in National Citizen Service contracts 3

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 13 Sep 2012

Serco has won the highest number of contracts to run the government’s National Citizen Service programme over the next two years.

Overall, eight organisations have won contracts to run the government’s National Citizen Service until 2014. The eight winning bidders will share a contract pot worth £200m and operate in 19 regions across the UK.

Serco will run the National Citizen Service in the most regions - 6 across the UK - with its NCS Network, which includes four charities: Vinspired, NYA, UK Youth and Catch 22.

The eight winning bidders include four charities, two college consortia, and two private-sector led consortia. The two consortia with private sector lead bodies are piloting guidelines for effective working with the voluntary sector developed by NCVO.

Over 120 organisations will be involved in the national and local delivery of NCS over the next two years, including over 70 organisations from the voluntary sector, and around 50 colleges and local authorities.

The selected lead organisations are:

• Football League Trust (operating in 1 region)
• Inspira (formerly Connexions Cumbria) (operating in 1 region)
• Lincolnshire & Rutland Education Business Partnership (operating in 1 region)
• New College Nottingham (College) (operating in 1 region)
• Petroc (College) (operating in 2 regions)
• The Challenge Network (operating in 5 regions)
• The NCS Network - led by Serco (operating in 6 regions)
• Reed in Partnership (operating in 2 regions)

Directory: Catch22 | National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) | UK Youth

Place a comment

Sera Felton
Youth Development Worker
North East LA
21 Sep 2012

I am one of the lucky few that still have a youth work job with a local authority. I work with lots of young people and every summer, we struggle to raise the funds to work with our young people on residentials, outdoor adventure and community activities. Somehow we manage, but how wonderful it would be to be able to tap into the seemingly unlimited resource made available for NCS - often to those organisations who do not have relationships with young people!

Why is it, that since NCS began - we are constantly approached by successful budget holders - for access to "our" young people? I do not begrudge these young people access to positive activities, but they do not wish to be with adults they don't know. I also received an email asking that they would take 14+ young people to fill empty spaces on one occasion! So much for 16 and 17 year olds!

Why can't the government recognise the excellent work existing projects do - all of which have similar programmes to NCS?

[Reply]

Gordon West
F1 Training
14 Sep 2012

Congratulations to Serco, who will do a good job.

[Reply]

Ged Simpson
13 Sep 2012

Oh what a surprise !

[Reply]

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