More young people in the region who face barriers to employment are set to be supported into work and training, with nearly £5 million of funding secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) led by Mayor Dan Norris.
Our region is one of only eight Trailblazer regions in England chosen as part of the government’s Get Britain Working strategy to pioneer a new approach to reducing the number of young people aged 18-21 years old who are not in education, employment, or training. Around 24,000 people in the West of England aged 16-64 years old have no qualifications, with around a third of this number aged 16-19 years old.
The Mayor has previously called for a “skills devolution revolution”, including the devolution of Jobcentre Plus to mayors, and set out his determination that people – particularly working-class people – always have the chance to get on in life. This new funding sits alongside the record £12.8 million secured by the MCA for Skills Bootcamps over the coming financial year, over three times more than in 2022/23.
Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said:
"I'm delighted that my Mayoral Combined Authority has successfully secured £5 million of vital funding to deliver our Youth Guarantee programme. We know that too many young people face real challenges in finding the right opportunities, whether that's in education, training, or work.
"The West of England is a region doing well but full of potential to do even better. Too often, talented people are losing out.
“I’m determined that no young person is left behind. By linking people up with local businesses and investing in skills, we’re not just transforming individuals’ lives, we’re strengthening our regional economy and building a workforce fit for the future."
The West of England will pioneer a new approach, testing how local leadership, partnership working, and enhanced support services can improve outcomes for young people. The year-long initiative will focus on three key cohorts:
•Rural areas of North East Somerset where people face transport barriers - facilitating transport solutions and supporting young people to access them to increase participation, progression, and sustained employment;
•Areas of significant deprivation and high levels of youth unemployment in south Bristol – co-ordinating signposting to services, and engaging young people and supporting them to progress;
•In South Gloucestershire, focusing particularly on wards with high numbers of Universal Credit claimants, the project will support young people with special educational needs.
A specialist team from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority will also work closely with businesses in the region to build stronger links between young people and employers, including creating employment and work experience opportunities. This collaboration will ensure that businesses have the support they need to take on young talent, as well as helping to fill staffing gaps.
This trailblazer programme will help shape the future national rollout of the Youth Guarantee, with learning here informing policy development across the country.
This announcement follows news from Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, yesterday of £600 million investment to train up 60,000 more skilled construction workers to help get Britain building again: including £100 million of funding for Skills Bootcamps in the construction sector.
