New scheme in Leeds and Bradford to help vulnerable young people into work

The employment skills fund, which has been awarded £1.45m of European funding, aims to help young people who are facing barriers associated with mental ill health, and provide them with support from both Leeds and Bradford councils to access education, training and employment opportunities.

The project will deliver a new programme for young people with mental health support needs, whether or not they are receiving out-of-work benefits.

Emphasis, claims Leeds City Council, will be put on mental wellbeing in addition to general employability support – recognising that health, including mental health are vitally important to creating a happy and productive workforce.

Over the next three years the project will support around 1,100 young people in Leeds to improve their skills and significantly increase their prospects of moving into sustained employment.

The project will work with existing services and programmes delivered by the council and its partners to ensure any Leeds resident not in employment aged 15 and over can be supported.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive member for learning, skills and employment, said: “The long term impact of Covid-19 on our most vulnerable residents is yet to be fully known, however, we are working closely with partners and other local authorities, to ensure support is available through programmes such as this for residents to access meaningful jobs and or educational opportunities.

“This project will run for three years from this summer, and will play a very important role in our work to ensure young people are given the meaningful support that they need. Our existing provision has also been aligned to ensure our employment and skills delivery is still available on line and or over the phone until we return to face to face delivery.”

A new website has also been launched by Leeds City Council to help both those looking for work and employers. To find out more, please see: www.employmentskillsleeds.co.uk.