Member Article

Youth Contract backing to help Greater Manchester youngsters find jobs

Greater Manchester’s Skills and Employment Partnership has secured £5.8m of government funding – one of the largest regional shares – to tackle youth unemployment across the metropolitan region.

The investment comes from the government’s Youth Contract, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and will help to support more than 2,500 young people into employment with:

• The use of ‘Personalised Budgets’ – giving individuals an opportunity to take control over the interventions they need and allowing them to understand how much funding is being invested in their personal journey back to work.

• Dedicated personal coaches – who will work closely with young unemployed individuals to support them into finding and securing work, as well as settling into a new role during early stages.

• Digital technology – a dedicated mobile application will be developed that will enable young people to further manage their personal budgets and navigate career and support options.

The scheme will focus particularly on those aged 18-24 that have been out of work for more 6 months.

Whilst youth unemployment in Greater Manchester has dropped by 20% in the past twelve months, the number of young people out of work and claiming benefit remains the biggest labour market challenge facing Greater Manchester.

Cllr Jim McMahon, Chair of the Greater Manchester Skills and Employment Partnership, said: “We are delighted that our innovative proposal has been acknowledged by Government.”

“There is a great deal of work still to be done to tackle youth unemployment across Greater Manchester and it is a key priority for the partnership.

“Personalised budgets are a key element of this – giving a ‘hand up’ to those seeking work through meaningful choices and control about the package of support they need to overcome the barriers preventing them from getting into work.

“The partnership will monitor the effectiveness of this and do everything we can to ensure we deliver the maximum possible impact from this investment.”

Louise Timperley, Head of Skills and Employment at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The announcement is good news for the Greater Manchester economy.

“Our experience of working with local businesses, large and small, is that there is a strong desire to employ young people because they have the enthusiasm, energy and drive to make a difference to their business.

“This fund will enable companies to access better information and to receive greater support in assisting them in navigating the pathways to the recruitment of young people.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .