VOLUNTARY Organisations in Birmingham, Whose Future Could Be Hit Hard by Cuts in Public
0203.13
Press release
27 March 2013
Help on the horizon for young jobless
Young jobless people in Birmingham and Solihull are one step closer towards receiving the benefit of a share of £100m to tackle the area’s high youth unemployment.
The Big Lottery Fund has given the first green light to funding plans, drawn up by The Greater Birmingham and Solihull partnership, to combat the high number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET).
According to a report by a Commission on Youth Unemployment, Birmingham has one of the worst youth unemployment rates in the country. Fifteen thousand under 25’s are out of work, equating to 10.7%, which rises to a quarter in some inner city areas. At 8.9% Solihull also has a higher youth unemployment rate than the national average of 7.7%.
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Partnership, which is led by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), working closely with Solihull SUSTAIN, has now been given £50,000 to work up a more detailed proposal. If successful, approximately £7.5m will be invested, through the Talent Match programme, in Birmingham and Solihull over five years from 2013.
Talent Match is a Big Lottery Fund initiative targeted at 21 NEET hotspots across England, including Birmingham and Solihull, where 18 – 24 year olds are finding it hardest to secure jobs or training opportunities.
If the money is forthcoming, The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Partnership will collaborate with councils, charities, employers and colleges, to help young people find work. The project is unusual both because it is the voluntary sector that is charged with taking the lead and because it involves young people in creating the right support services that they require.
Support for NEETs will include helping them to develop their own enterprises, finding paid employment opportunities and educating them in the skills they need for the workplace.
One young person who would benefit from this opportunity is 21-year-old Natasha Edwards, a student who lives in South Woodgate. She said: “Talent Match could help young people to get off the streets and off benefits and into jobs. I want to become a support worker. If Talent Match started I could complete my studies by being supported to get practical skills which could help me to get the career that I’m after.”
Brian Carr, chief executive of BVSC, said: “This is positive news for young unemployed people in Birmingham and Solihull. We look forward to working with them and with local partner agencies to create a programme of activity that will create real, sustainable job opportunities within the local community.”
This funding bid comes on the back of a report published earlier this year from The Work Foundation, which claimed that the UK has one of the worst levels for youth unemployment in the developed world, with just Spain and Greece experiencing higher levels in the OECD.
It also said that the UK has experienced the fastest rise in youth unemployment of any country in the G8 since the start of the recession.
In addition, the ACEVO commission on Youth Unemployment has estimated that youth unemployment cost the UK £10.7bn in lost output during 2012 alone.
Ends
Notes to editor:
BVSC is one of the largest voluntary sector support organisations in the UK.
The Digbeth-based Centre for Voluntary Action matches potential volunteers with local charities and not-for-profit organisations across the city.
It offers a wide range of opportunities including environmental work, mentoring and support, recycling, tour guides, sports coaching and helping in local hospitals. Plus, more recently, an expansion of the voluntary sector has seen an increase in demand for skilled and capable trustees to support charities and voluntary organisations at a strategic level.
BVSC works to:
· Provide people with opportunities to make a positive difference to their communities
· Provide voluntary and community organisations with the resources to help them achieve their goals
· Champion the voluntary sector as an influential force for positive change.
For more information contact Nikki Cheung at Creative Bridge on
01455 883880 or email