Midlands youth complete placements under government Transition to Work pilot

A group of young people are among the first to complete work placements as part of a scheme to help more than 1,000 young adults into work in the West Midlands.

The work placements are part of a national pilot of the Government-led Transition to Work project which aims to support unemployed young people into work.

Youth unemployment in the West Midlands is 13.1% (14,000), which is above the national youth unemployment rate of 11.8% as of February 2019 and well above 4% for the country as a whole.

The recent placements with BTin Birmingham are part of a wider scheme, involving work placement charity Movement to Work (MtW) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which is working with several large employers in the region to offer work experience to more than 1,000 young people.

MtW is working in partnership with the WMCA, 18 local authorities, four local enterprise partnerships, training providers and youth-outreach charities to deliver the project. It arranges the placements to give young people the opportunity to build their skills and confidence, develop ambition and show potential employers what they are capable of.

The Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street presented certificates to the first 30 young people, all aged between 18 and 24, following their 11-day work placement.

As part of the placements they received training and work experience with the telecoms firm, preparing them for careers in the digital world.

“These young people have taken the first step towards entering the world of work, and they should be congratulated for successfully graduating after their work placements,” said the mayor.

“Reducing youth unemployment is proving to be a stubborn challenge in the West Midlands, but with the help of employers like BT, and through our work with programmes such as Movement to Work, we are trying a new approach that provides meaningful and useful work experiences.”

Among the graduates was James Lovell, 23, from Sutton Coldfield, said: “The BT Work Ready programme has helped me grow in confidence by working on my CV, interview and presentation skills and giving me work experience.”

BT has committed to provide 150 work placements in the West Midlands over the coming months.