CG Partnership was founded as a limited company in 1995 in a room above a shop in the Market Square by Janet Farr with a mission to widen participation in learning in Market Rasen.

In 1999 the organisation moved into 8 Queen Street, Market Rasen and subsequently took on arena cafe as a training café for volunteers and learners. Mablethorpe Learning Centre opened in 2007 in partnership with Grimsby Institute; Foundry Centre in Bridge Street Gainsborough followed in 2008 and the same year CGP expanded into Mill Street in Market Rasen. Park Springs Centre opened in 2009 in partnership with ACIS Group. We are very proud of the partnerships that we have formed and sustained over the years to improve provision to learners and we could not do the work we do without them.

In 2009 Janet handed over the company to the community, changing its status to a Community Interest Company (CIC) and securing any surplus income to be re-invested in communities and learners. We had another big change in 2010 when our new Chief Executive, Dr Josie Pedersen, joined the organisation.

In 2005 CGP started the Entry to Employment Programme which is now Foundation Learning, helping over one hundred young people every year to gain qualifications to progress to employment, College and Apprenticeships. As well as young people we had over 3000 adult learners taking courses with us in 2010. We are very proud of the achievements of our learners; for the last four years it has been one of our Learners who has won Lincolnshire Learner of the Year and Personal Achiever of the Year as part of the National Apprenticeship Awards; one of these went on to win a National award.

We have a strong commitment to equality and diversity, and in particular to issues of rural/coastal deprivation and community contribution. In 2010, we worked with the Market Rasen Station Art Group to paint murals on the Railway Station wall, completed art sculptures on Mablethorpe beach and our Gainsborough learners produced a book “Our Town” depicting their memories of Gainsborough. We seek funding regularly to support long and short term projects to support our objectives: in 2009/10 we ran 29 projects supporting adults along side our youth programme. Our self assessment report contains more detail on our work last year.

Within our overall objectives our provision varies according to the needs of our communities (and according to funding streams) and has included international work, mentoring and peer mentoring consultancy, adult and community learning, apprenticeships, Train to Gain, skills for life, NVQs, teacher training, access, employability training, vocational training (catering, customer service, retail, business administration, media and performance, sport, health and social care, horticulture), IT, information/advice and guidance, equality and diversity.

Our whole team is very dedicated to supporting our learners and to continue to do this we all undertake regular CPD; everyone who teaches at CGP has a teaching qualification and has or is working towards QTLS. Everyone who volunteers with us has a personal training plan so that they get real value from the experience.

The founding and continuing mission of our organisation is to widen participation in learning.