‘Trailblazer' funding has been
announced to help more young people in Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough to ‘earn or learn'.
Secretary of State for Work and
Pensions was at Peterborough College yesterday, joined by
Mayor Dr , where she unveiled a national package of
reforms to help more people out of economic inactivity and into
employment.
She launched the Get Britain Working
White Paper, backed with £240 million of Government funding,
aiming to tackle near-record levels of people out of work
due to long term sickness, as well supporting the approximately
one in eight young people not in education, employment or
training.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was
named as one of only eight areas in England getting trailblazer
funding to help match young people at risk of falling out of
education or employment with opportunities to gain skills,
training, and work experience.
Partnership working with Mayors and
local leaders is central to the Get Britain Working initiative.
It will support the Combined Authority to build on its existing
work to break down barriers to employment, education and training
which young people face.
Work already being done
includes:
- Opening up routes to
apprenticeships, internships, further education, and workplace
skills.
- Helping shape and inspire better
work futures through the Careers Hub.
- Addressing a higher education ‘cold
spot' with the establishment of ARU
Peterborough.
- Working with employers to help
secure and skill-up talent they need to
grow.
- Working with training providers and
further education colleges, including providing funding, to
enable new provision to help more young people gain in-demand
skills.
The White Paper includes a new ‘Youth
Guarantee' where every 18-21-year-old in England will have access
to an apprenticeship, quality training and education
opportunities or help to find a job.
Dr , Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,
said:
“The ‘Get Britain Working' package
will be transformational in helping break down the barriers to
good quality employment. As a trailblazer we'll be able to build
on our experience and help even more young people get on in life.
Through local knowledge and partnerships we can deliver real
opportunities that change lives, providing access to invaluable
education, training, and work, and the independence, purpose, and
sense of achievement that come with
it.”
The Combined Authority is also the
accountable body for the new ‘Connect to Work' supported
employment program, and part of Get Britain Working. Working in
partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City
Council, and other constituent authorities, the Combined
Authority will lead its development and delivery.
Connect to Work is a voluntary program
for economically inactive adults, such as those with a disability
and/or health conditions, and those with complex barriers to
work. The Combined Authority will lead a systems approach across
employment and skills services, primary and secondary health
care, the voluntary and community sector, and in partnership with
local employers and the Department for Work and Pensions, to
build a coherent support program for over 1,000 adults motivated
to work.
The Combined Authority will link these
crucial employment and skills programs to the Local Growth Plan
(to be published in the Spring) and the new Work, Health, and
Skills Plan. The focus will be on the continued development of a
lifelong learning culture, where personal and professional
development delivers benefits for our people, our economy, and
our communities.
