Walsall’s employment initiative has helped thousands of NEETs
Walsall Council is hoping to extend its involvement in an initiative called Walsall Youth Employment Support, which, since 2016, has succeeded in recruiting and supporting 2641 young people who were not in employment, education or training (NEETs), 756 of whom have achieved what the programme calls ‘positive outcomes’, including 208 into employment and a further 422 into education.
Walsall’s cabinet is considering giving approval to an extension of the programme, which is supported by additional European funding from the Department of Work and Pensions. The extension would be for a period of three years, and would see the programme continue until July 2021, with the total resources available of £7.4 million (an increase of £1.3m since 2016) which would support a programme of 4461 NEETs, with at least 1,294 able to achieve a positive outcome.
Cllr Andrew said: “We’ve demonstrated that supporting young people into gainful employment or education can have a lasting, positive impact not just for the individual, but for the Borough as a whole. The investment of the council’s in the Impact Partnership is far outweighed by the external funding we have been able to attract, and I am certain we can continue to have positive outcomes over the next three years. I look forward to meeting some of the young people we are able to support.”
Walsall Council forms part of the Black Country’s Impact Partnership, which includes the four Black Country councils and the Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (Talent Match) , organisation who together have secured £34m of EU and Government funding. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer has agreed to all committed EU programmes, the partners are in a position to carry on as planned with this valuable programme.
In order to receive the £34m the partners have to invest in the programme through staff and activities, and for every £1 the council puts in, it is able to draw down £2 of EU funding.
