Youth Promise - investing in young people
All young people across Birmingham will have access to employment, training, apprenticeships or work experience when they leave school, the city council has promised.
The Youth Promise proposal gives young people access to a universal offer which guarantees an offer of employment, education, training, apprenticeship or work experience within four months of leaving school or college.
To achieve this we will:
• Establish a new Birmingham careers service – information, advice and guidance if you are aged 16-19 and not in education, employment or training
• Provide specialist mentoring – one-to-one support if you are not in education, training or employment
• Introduce a single monitoring and tracking system – this will provide and integrated service aimed at tracking and engaging with our young people and reducing the number whose current activity is not known
• Improve our investment in targeted and specialist support – targeted funding will be made available for local areas to spend on those who need it most
• Establish a digital access point – cutting-edge technology providing information at your fingertips including opportunities matched to skills and achievements
• Continue to deliver the Birmingham Baccalaureate
• Continue to improve transport and connectivity – making opportunities more accessible through better connectivity
Councillor Penny Holbrook, cabinet member for skills, learning and culture, said: “Young people are at the heart of this city. This promise recognises the role young people play in our future and is the city’s response to a generation who may feel they are being left behind. It firmly says ‘you are our future; we recognise that and we will invest in you’.
“This promise will provide vital support for young people moving into employment, helping develop their skills and give them a range of opportunities.
“For those who face the biggest challenges there will be targeted and specialist intervention so they can fully participate in education, training and employment.
“We have one of the youngest populations in Europe but despite this growing talent pool, youth unemployment is still a problem. Although it has fallen recently it is still too high at 10 per cent – twice the national rate.
“However, working in partnership with schools, further education colleges, businesses and the voluntary sector I am determined we will meet this challenge head on for the sake of our young people.â€
The Youth Promise will be launched at the Skills Show today (Thursday 13 November).
