New employment hub to open in football stadium

The city's hub will be run in partnership with Posh foundation, EFL in the Community, Jobcentre Plus and the wider community

A new employment hub will open in a city's football stadium to support young people who are seeking work.

Peterborough United Football Stadium on London Road will host the centre, which will open later this year as part of a £45m Youth Guarantee Trailblazer government scheme.

The project aims to bring services together in one place for people aged 16-24, such as careers advice, skills training, mental health support and job matching.

Figures from the Department for Education (DfE) showed that in 2025 3.9% of 16-17-year-olds living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were not in education, employment or training - which was above the national average of 3.4%.

The hub will be run in partnership with Peterborough United Foundation, EFL in the Community (the charitable arm of the English Football League), Jobcentre Plus and the wider community.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was one of eight areas chosen in England to take part in the scheme.

Offer opportunities

The DfE said the percentage of young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough known to not be in employment, education or training (NEET) had risen from 2.9% in 2022 to 3.9% in 2025 - the highest figure since 2016.

Paul Bristow, the mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, who will be overseeing the scheme, said: "This will give young people who are at risk of falling between the cracks a real chance to get on in life.

"This hub will be a real one-stop shop – a welcoming place where young people can get the support they need to move into work, training or further study."

Lucy Nethsingha, a Liberal Democrat councillor at Cambridgeshire County Council and chair of the combined authority's skills committee, said: "This intervention in Peterborough will strengthen what we can do to help young people build their futures and access meaningful work which meets aspirations."

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes welcomed the funding, and said: "Too many young people have been left behind, and this targeted support will help ensure local young people get the guidance, training, and opportunities they deserve.

"I campaigned hard to ensure that Peterborough and Cambridgeshire were one of the first pilots for this project in the country, and for this funding to be extended again".

Gill Wignall, the chief executive at Peterborough United Foundation, said: "By empowering the next generation, we are not only helping individuals into employment but also strengthening our communities and local economy."

Debbie Cook, EFL's director of community, said: "From employment, mentoring and education programmes to sport and wellbeing initiatives, EFL Football Clubs and their charities are deeply embedded in their communities, empowering individuals to unlock their potential and thrive."

In August Peterborough City Council received a share of £88m from a new government initiative to support youth services in the city and set up "youth zones".