Liverpool City Council has been granted £5 million to help young people into work as part of a major new employment initiative.
The funding forms part of the Liverpool City Region Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, a government-backed scheme aiming to make sure every young person, especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET), can access meaningful support to find work.
The initiative comes as new figures released today show that unemployment rates nationally have reached a post pandemic high.
Liverpool is one of eight areas across the UK chosen to pilot the programme, which focuses on creating more opportunities for those aged 18 to 21.
The investment was announced alongside the Young Trailblazers event, held at Liverpool Town Hall today, where young people met local employers, training providers and community organisations offering work placements and mentoring.
The event welcomed parents, carers, and mentors as well as young people, giving them a chance to explore a wide range of opportunities and services available across Merseyside.
One mother, Leanne Wilcott, shared her son Jacob’s story of struggling to find work. She said:
“My son started a course with Pinehurst Education and completed a full 12 months on the course, doing track safety. Two weeks into September just gone, the funding was pulled, which has left Jacob with no opportunities at all. All of the college courses he wanted to do were full, and finding work at the moment has been quite difficult.”
She added, “Hopefully this is going to benefit the youth of today. It’s also good for employers because they can see what young people are like in the workplace, and they could potentially find someone they were looking for without realising it. I do think it’s great, the funding, but at this minute we’re only at the very beginning of that journey.”
Grants from the £5 million fund have been awarded under four key strands:
- Entry to employment partners: Catch 22, Merseyside Youth Association, and The Big Trust will provide mentoring and tailored support to move young people closer to the labour market.
- Sports and creative partners: Be Free Campaign, Sound City Liverpool, Merseyside Youth Association, and The Kings Trust will deliver innovative programmes using arts, health, wellbeing and sport to motivate and engage young people.
- Support for young people with SEND: Blackburne House will help young people with additional needs settle into paid employment through in-work support.
- The scheme also has extra support packages for care leavers including giving young care leavers a free tablet, a mobile device with 6 months’ worth of free data.
The event comes amid ongoing concerns about youth unemployment in Liverpool, which remains above the national average. Local organisations say the new funding will make a major difference in providing young people with direct access to work experience and personal development.
Why are so many young people in Liverpool unemployed?
Hannah Lewis, Youth Trailblazer Co-ordinator, says she believes Covid is a big part to blame for unemployed youth. “Covid has created a generation with anxiety and less social skills, Young people who have grown up in their bedrooms, who haven’t been able to do their work experience as part of the school curriculum and are now looking for the first step into employment.”
Officials hope the Trailblazer project will become a success and help young break barriers and get support they need to go into a career.
Andy Frith, from the Combined Authority, said: “There’s an opportunity through the Trailblazer and the work that’s going on in Liverpool to influence government policy.”
