Nottingham will get a £3 million cash injection to help young people into work, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Minister for Cities Greg Clark announced today.
The investment is part of a pot of cash from Government for cities to invest over the next three years, with cities estimating that this will help more than 25,000 young people into work.
Jobs for young people is one of the most pressing items on the agenda for our cities and this funding package will put city leaders in the driving seat so they can make changes at a local level, invest in their young people and the future prosperity of their city, and tackle youth unemployment head on.
Nottingham, which has already secured a landmark City Deal, was one of eight core cities and twenty wave two cities invited to submit proposals earlier this year for a share of up to £50m. The people behind the proposal had to prove they will be able to deliver innovative schemes explicitly designed to tackle the problem of youth unemployment.
The £3m will be used to increase the work of the Joint Integrated Employer and Apprenticeship Hub. It will also help build on the success of the City Deal and community-based schemes aimed at giving further support for young people taking part in employer-led training.
Today’s funding announcement comes as the Deputy Prime Minister meets young apprentices from across the country at the Skills Show and the National Apprenticeship Awards in Birmingham, which recognise and celebrate the very best of young British talent, and the employers going that extra mile to help our apprentices to progress.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “Helping young people succeed is crucial to our economic recovery. That is why I am pleased to announce a Government investment of £3 million for Nottingham to help get more young people into jobs.
“This is a multi-million pound cash boost for Nottingham to invest in its young people and the future prosperity of the city, making our society fairer so that everyone has the chance to get on in life.
“Investment like this, paired with a determination to tackle youth unemployment by our great cities, has the genuine power to change the fortunes of young people across the region, whether it’s with extra training, improving education, or apprenticeships.”
Minister for Cities Greg Clark said: “The days of Whitehall holding all the purse strings are coming to an end. Handing power over how cities spend money is important – this way, local leaders can do what’s best for the young people in their area. They know what will work and can make a real difference to their economic future by shaping the workforce of tomorrow.”
The government is committed to making long-term investments in young people’s futures through work experience and apprenticeships.
It places cities at the centre of the design and delivery of new schemes to complement the Government’s existing investment to tackle youth unemployment.
