Latest investment in Mayor's Young Person's Guarantee to help thousands more young people into jobs or training

MAYOR Steve Rotheram's Young Person's Guarantee (YPG) has taken another major step forward and is on course to help thousands more young people across the Liverpool City Region into work or training.

The YPG, which was 1 of the Mayor's manifesto pledges, promised a job, training or apprenticeship opportunity to every young person out of work, education or training for more than 6 months.

More than 10,000 jobs and 7,000 apprenticeships have been created through initiatives including:- the YPG, the Be More app and the transfer of millions of pounds in unspent Apprenticeship Levy to smaller companies.

Building on this success, the Combined Authority have approved:- £795,000, from the Strategic Investment Fund, to further support under 25s.

A new scheme will see wage incentives of £3,000 offered to local employers who recruit young people. The aim is to get 240 more people aged:- 18 to 25 into education, employment or training over the next 3 years.

The new scheme will support an additional 720 young people with 1-to 1 personal advice and mentoring. It will aim to give 4,500 young people aged:- 18 to 24, with better access to job opportunities by 2026.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, said:- "I launched the Young Person's Guarantee with a clear purpose; to send all our young people a promise of hope. Because, for far too long, too many people in our area have been held back from fulfilling their potential, not by a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. As Mayor, I'm doing everything in my power to connect people to opportunities and attract more jobs to our area, but, to get to the front of the queue, we need to ensure local people have the skills and experience to seize the opportunities that lie ahead for our economy. The investments we're making have helped to create tens of thousands of jobs and training opportunities for people in our area. I'm incredibly proud of this achievement, however, what really matters to me is that we can improve people's life chances. Fortunately, devolution has given us the opportunity to do just that by investing in programmes that will make a real, tangible difference to people's lives. It's proper levelling up in action."

National statistics show youth unemployment at:- 531,000, in September 2023; up:- 131,000, on 2023; while:- 6.1% of 18 to 24 year olds, within the City Region, were claiming out of work benefits, compared to the national average of 4.8%.

To address this problem, the Mayor and the Combined Authority have created a series of programmes to deliver the pledge, including an Apprenticeship Levy transfer scheme.

The Mayor launched a drive in 2023 to encourage big employers to transfer tens of millions of pounds of unspent Apprenticeship Levy funding to help smaller firms fund local training.

To date the Combined Authority has helped to transfer £3.2m of unspent levy funding to create 695 apprenticeships.

In addition, using the Flexible Support Fund, a new network of youth hubs has helped more than 3,500 people to access a range of services, such as:- neurodiversity support, job search and employer sessions.

The latest funding announcement will provide young people with direct access to dedicated advisors from the existing:- 'Ways to Work' programme and business support organisations.

In addition, it will identify and address wider barriers to employment such as:- mental health support, confidence, volunteering and resilience building. A new access area on the Be More app will help young people access support.

Co-ordinated activities will bring together young people looking for work and employers seeking talent. The scheme and wage incentives are expected to begin early in 2024.

From Hugh Baird College to Published Poet, Joanne Stenson Launches 'Relatable You'

FORMER Hugh Baird College Functional Skills English student Joanne Stenson is celebrating publishing her 1st poetry book:- 'Relatable You.' The book features a collection of 40 poems created by Joanne to guide readers through the difficulties of grief and the trials and tribulations of life.

The poems are dedicated to Joannes's late brother, who was tragically murdered fourteen years ago, aged 19. Following the sudden loss of her brother, Joanne returned to Bootle, Merseyside, after spending 8 years working in London as a Police Officer for the Metropolitan Police. Joanne joined Virgin Atlantic as a Cabin Crew member in late 2010, with her base in the North West of England.

Joanne enrolled at Hugh Baird College on a Functional Skills course in 2018 to refresh her English skills, during which she reconnected with her love of literature and decided to embark on a journey in poetry with the support of her tutors.

Joanne stated:- "Writing poetry is something I have always loved. However, after losing my brother, I found writing down my feelings and emotions helped me with the grieving process; it provided me with an escape from reality. I created this poetry book to help others going through experiences similar to mine. Refreshing my English skills at Hugh Baird College gave me the confidence to set up my dog grooming business alongside my cabin crew job at Virgin. I felt confident and supported by my tutors, and they pushed me to achieve my goals. I had the pleasure of being Joanne's English Tutor at Hugh Baird College. Joanne was a committed and passionate student. She consistently demonstrated dedication to her work and a genuine enthusiasm for literature. Her passion for helping others through poetry was something Joanne was passionate about from the beginning. I am so proud to see her poetry book published and excited to see what the future holds for her." English Tutor, Victoria OToole at Hugh Baird College."

Joanne, who authors under the pseudonym Jaycee Micheals, intends to publish 3 additional books:- 'Relatable Too,' 'Relatable Me,' and 'Relatable Wee.' The next book:- 'Relatable Too,' will be published in April 2024. Joanne intends the last book:- 'Relatable Wee,' to be aimed at the younger reader, with the same concepts as the other books but presented in a more child friendly style.

Those wishing to find out more about Hugh Baird College's Functional Skills courses can do so via their website.