Scheme to help young people out of unemployment

Blake Smith-Helps found out about the scheme through the Job Centre

A new scheme to help almost 500 young people into work has launched across the West of England.

The region is one of eight pilot areas trialling a "Youth Guarantee", which the government said will give every young person "a real chance of either earning or learning".

At a cost of £5m, the scheme is aiming to reach 17-21 year olds in south Bristol, rural areas of north east Somerset, and those with special needs or mental health conditions in South Gloucestershire.

Experts say that building long-term trust between young people and career coaches will be key to the success of the scheme.

Work opportunities

Blake Smith-Helps is one of the first people to take part in the Youth Guarantee Scheme, which offers young people in south Bristol four weeks of intensive careers coaching followed by a two-week work placement.

"No one wanted to hire me because I had no qualifications," he said, until the job centre pointed him towards the scheme, which he said so far has been "great".

Now he has the possibility of a placement on the construction site of the new South Bristol Youth Zone, as he explores whether to go into construction or art and design.

Details of the scheme vary across each of the three council areas in the West of England, but all participants are offered a free bus pass to make it easier to travel to work opportunities.

In Bath and North East Somerset, the council is also offering e-bike loans or access to community minibuses. It says work placements might be a couple of days or a week, and there will be interview days with employers.

Meanwhile in South Gloucestershire, the scheme is aimed at primarily at young people with special educational or mental health needs. Those taking part will get up to four weeks of careers coaching and an eight-week placement.

The new Youth Zone in south Bristol will offer employment support from next year

Bristol City Council has chosen to open its scheme to those living in south Bristol, the area of the city with the highest levels of youth unemployment.

In Hartcliffe & Withywood more than one in 10 16-17 year olds are recorded as being "not in education, employment or training" (NEET), almost twice as high as the average for England.

Many of those classed as NEET have spent time in college or sixth form before dropping out, according to a recent council report.

The authority is bringing in four new career coaches to add to an existing team of six, as it promises young people will get continued support after the Youth Guarantee scheme.

There is no guarantee of a job for participants, and Becci Newton from the Institute of Employment Studies says that building trust between young people and their career coach will be important if the scheme is to succeed.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm that the funding is coming in,"she said.

"It's important that we try to work out what can work sustainably."

Skills shortages

Construction company Galliford Try hopes to offer seven placements on the South Bristol Youth Zone site.

Regional Community Manager Dawn Jevons said it makes a difference knowing that those on the scheme are receiving wraparound support from the council.

Asked whether it was realistic for someone to be offered a job after a two week placement, she said "it does happen", as construction companies seeks to fill skills shortages across the sector.

The West of England Combined Authority is appealing for more businesses to come forward to support the scheme.

"We're not just looking for big employers with big shiny offices," said Helen Godwin, the Mayor of the West of England.

"It can be a bit scary to take on somebody who's not experienced work before," she added.

"We can offer support around that. Think about how good it will feel to give someone that opportunity."