A BRADFORD-BASED education charity has received around £148,000 of funding to expand its Unlocking Talent & Potential programme across the European Union.

The Schools Linking Network has succeeded in a bid for funding to expand its programme across the EU, starting in Ireland, Latvia and Poland. The programme has been developed over the past two years with support from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

This project is one of 50 set up involving schools and employers in Bradford, Birmingham and Croydon in South London. It is now being expanded beyond the initial three centres by working with multi-academy trusts and other groups of schools in the UK.

The funding — 186,000 euros — will adapt the current model to meet different situations in other countries and education systems.

SLN is among the first group of applicants for the new seven-year Erasmus+ EU programme. Erasmus+ will support work over the next two years.

The project involves working with local partners in each of the three countries to develop the existing model and share good practice and resources through discussion forums, social media, seminars, workshops and a conference which will explore further opportunities for pan-European collaboration.

Unlocking Talent & Potential develops young people’s life skills, future aspirations and personal motivation by working alongside teaching professionals to create learning experiences that involve local employers. One of the previous projects on which the group worked involved a Bradford free school.

In July, 60 pupils, aged 11 and 12, from One In A Million, Cliffe Terrace, Bradford, were asked to come up with ideas and footwear designs to add to the range at Bombay Stores on the city’s Shearbridge Road.

Ideas from the pupils included customer seating, store layout, special offers, online adverts and designs for teenagers’ casual pump shoes.

Gerard Liston, SLN programme manager, said: “We are delighted to have been selected at this early stage of this new EU funding programme.

“It builds on the work we have done in the UK over the past couple of years and we expect it will create a more robust programme.

“Working on projects school-by-school has allowed us to reach 4,500 young people so far.

“This project responds to needs that are across Europe and are becoming increasingly important for all countries and the young people educated in them.”