EMBARGOED: 00:01hrs Wednesday 22 January 2014

£7M TO HELP JOBLESS YOUTH IN
WEST YORKSHIRE

The New Year is looking a lot brighter for young jobseekers in West Yorkshire as the Big Lottery Fund today (Wednesday) announces the area is to receive almost £7m from Talent Match, its £108m youth unemployment initiative.

The news comes as a survey of young people who were NEET in Leeds City Region suggested more than half of young people (52%) who have been NEET for a year or more felt they had “little chance of ever getting a job” and more than 4 in 10 (42%) agreed that they “feel [they are] not part of society”.

The Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of good causes money from the National Lottery, launched Talent Match, a scheme designed by young people for young people, with the aim of helping those aged 18-24 who are struggling the most to find career opportunities. Now the Fund has awarded the Your Consortium, who conducted the survey, £6,904,297 to help local young people who have been unemployed or out of education for at least 12 months.

Talent Match projects are led by a cross-sector partnership with a key focus on employers, particularly from the private sector, to ensure that it meets local needs and young people are given opportunities get the skills to find employment.

Your Consortium will now use themoney to work up local solutions to a nationwide problem that threatens serious consequences for an entire generation of young people and the wider economy.The ACEVO Commission on Youth Unemployment has estimated that the issue will cost £28 billion over the next decade.

Nat Sloane, England Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: ‘Youth unemployment is an issue that threatens the hopes of an entire generation as well as our whole economic wellbeing. Talent Match promises to help the very hardest to reach young people to make the most of their skills and ambitions, not just as an end goal, but by giving them a say in how the programme itself is designed and put into practice. The funding announced today is a key step on a very exciting journey as it means the real work can now begin. By bringing together the private sector and the knowledge of key charities, Talent Match will help ensure today’s young people have the maximum help and support they need to find a fulfilling and rewarding career.’

Sue Vasey, Chief Executive of Your Consortium, said: ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to tackle youth unemployment locally and have, in the course of designing this project, built very strong multi-agency relationships across the five districts that will be covered. We very much look forward to working with the Big Lottery Fund on this project.’

Ross Needham is a young advisor on the Leeds Talent Match Partnership and has struggled to find employment. He said: ‘I got involved in Talent Match because I don’t want other young people to have the same difficulties I did. I hope this project will give young people in the area someone who knows about the right links, what they really want and how to get through the right front door.’

Your Consortium will be leading a partnership targeting young people in West Yorkshire, including; Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees. These areas within the region have a high proportion of young people facing long-term unemployment.

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Notes to Editors

  • The Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
  • The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
  • The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
  • In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was returned to the Good Causes
  • Since the National Lottery began in 1994, over £30 billion has now been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

Ends//

Issued: 21/01/2014

PN 14-01-16