DWP launches 110 youth employment hubs
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, June 10, 2021
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched 110 youth hubs to support young people in finding employment.
The hubs, which are based in every JobCentre Plus district in the UK – including across all London boroughs – are partnered with charities, local authorities and colleges to offer advice and support on training and employment to young people.
The scheme has been launched alongside the recruitment of youth employability coaches and the 13-week youth employment programme (YEP).
The projects will also promote the government’s Kickstart scheme, which provides funded six-month apprenticeships for young people.
Anita McKnight, a DWP youth work coach said: “This has been an amazing opportunity for me as a work coach to work specifically with young people.
“The change in some of the young people I support has been phenomenal, and this has been accomplished through opportunities like Kickstart and working with our youth hub. I am proud to be a part of the transformation in a whole new world of work.”
Elise Mahmood, who secured a Kickstart role with Anita’s help, added: “Being smack bang in the middle of a pandemic finding a job, let alone finding a job that you’d actually enjoy, is very difficult! Anita was so helpful in sending cool jobs that I’d enjoy over. I am now working at a sustainable fashion company and despite not being there long, I am enjoying it more than any job I’ve ever had.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics released in April show that payrolled employment for under-25s fell to 3.43 million over the previous quarter leading to record levels of economic inactivity among those aged 16 to 24.
