Mayor raids business community for new youth mentor programme

Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor

The new West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, has turned to the region’s business community to help create a 1,000-stong network of experienced mentors.

The so-called ‘Mayor’s Mentors’ will be tasked with boosting young people’s career prospects and thereby helping to tackle youth unemployment in the region.

The new initiative follows a clear message delivered by Mr Street during his election campaign.

It aims to recruit professionals from a variety of sectors and backgrounds to be matched to young people and to serve as their mentors. They will offer support and guidance those either starting out in their careers or setting up their own business.

It forms part of the commitment by the Mayor to support entrepreneurship and eradicate youth unemployment within the three years of his first term.

In the West Midlands there currently are 13,650 people aged 18-24 classed as out of work and not in training.

As well as helping people to get into the job market, the Mayor’s Mentors programme will help give people who have already embarked on their careers the opportunity to improve their prospects.

They will typically be teamed up with an appropriate young person and meet, either in person or using technology, one or two times a month to discuss their work or business.

Mr Street said: “One thing I have learned in my career is the value of having a mentor – it’s helped me take important decisions in work and in life.

“It’s that lesson that is at the heart of the Mayor’s Mentors initiative.

“These mentors will be people who are successful in their careers and who can give a hand up for young people just starting out, in work or those setting up on their own.”

He said many from the business community had been saying to him that they wanted to play their part in tackling youth unemployment, give something back and assist in the ongoing success of the region.

“Mayor’s Mentors is a great opportunity to do just that,” added Mr Street.

“While there are many positive economic indicators in the West Midlands, improving opportunities for young people is vital. This is why I made eradicating youth unemployment in the West Midlands a clear priority.

“Quite simply, I am determined that by the end of my first three years we will have a youth unemployment rate of zero.

“I believe this is achievable and we have seen huge progress in reducing youth unemployment over the last four years as our economic recovery has been matched by some excellent support programmes.”

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