Care leavers and ex-offenders set for job boost in the West Midlands
Major employers join Government-backed scheme to support vulnerable young people into work
Care leavers, ex-offenders and young people facing mental health challenges in the West Midlands are set to benefit from a new employment partnership between Government, charities and leading UK businesses.
Firms including Greene King and Severn Trent are among 12 major employers joining forces with five Government departments and the West Midlands Combined Authority to create more job opportunities for people.
The Economic Inactivity Partnership aims to help around 500 additional people into work through participating employers, a 20% increase on current support levels, with the potential for similar schemes to be rolled out nationally to support thousands each year.
The initiative brings together business, government and the impact sector, supported by the charity ReGenerate, with a focus on helping care leavers, prison leavers and young people with mental health challenges into stable employment.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones launched the partnership at the Severn Trent Academy in Coventry, where he met care leavers working at the company and apprentices beginning their careers.
Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, said: "It's great to be focussing on skilling people up because there's so much untapped potential across the country.
“Giving people the right opportunity at the right time can transform their life. It's good for them – both for their financial position and their mental health. But it's also good for our country if we can help people fulfil their potential – whatever their background and whatever challenges they've been through."
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Here in the West Midlands, we have nearly 600,000 people who are out of work, and too many of them feel completely shut out of opportunity.
Care leavers, prison leavers, young people who've struggled - these are all people who want to work, who want to build a future, but who keep hitting walls that others don't. Every person locked out of work is talent our economy is missing out on.
“This challenge is too big for government or business to solve alone. But when local agencies, central government and purpose-driven businesses work as genuine partners from the start, not as an afterthought, real change becomes possible."