NYA launches £1m youth employability fund

The Employability Support Programme, launched in partnership with Barclays, will provide "booster" support to existing youth work schemes for 14- to 25-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neet).

The aim of the fund is to help youth workers and youth organisations provide tailored employability and life skills training, including CV writing and interview techniques, to 100,000 young people by the end of 2015.

Fiona Blacke, chief executive of the NYA, said the funding will provide youth workers with flexibility to deliver dedicated employment support based on the needs of the young people they work with.

“We know that youth unemployment is a huge issue, but we also know that youth work can help young people to develop some of the necessary skills to succeed in the world of work,” she said.

“Our new programme is building on projects that are already delivering for young people and is unique in the fact that there is no prescribed course that youth workers must run to access additional funding.

“We want youth work deliverers to be able to shape their training in a way that meets the needs of local young people and supports them to prepare for the future.”

The fund, launched as part of Barclays’ 5 Million Young Futures commitment, follows the success of the Money Skills project, which was delivered by a consortium of five charities, including NYA and UK Youth.

The first phase of the project, which ran for two years, saw 5,284 Neet 16- to 24-year-olds develop a range of money management skills.

The second and final phase of the project, which came to an end in December last year, saw UK Youth, Rathbone and Kinetic support 100 of those young people to develop employability skills and become financially independent as part of a “legacy project”.

Youth workers or organisations interested in applying for funding from the Employability Support Programme should contact Lisa Putnam at lisa@nya.org.uk