EMBARGOED: 00:01hrs Wednesday 22 January 2014

£10M TO HELP JOBLESS YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE BLACK COUNTRY

The New Year is looking a lot brighter for young jobseekers in the Black Country as the Big Lottery Fund today (Wednesday) announces the area is to receive over £10m from Talent Match, its £108m youth unemployment initiative.

The news comes as the latest ONS job figures are released today.

The Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of good causes money from the National Lottery, has launched Talent Match, a scheme designed by young people for young people and with the aim of helping those aged 18-24 who are struggling the most to find career opportunities. Now the Fund has awarded Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and its partners £10,270,938 to help young people in the Black Country 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.

Wolverhampton VCS will now use themoney, working alongside young people, businesses and other partners 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 £28billion over the next decade.

Paul Linton from Huf UK, a key member of the projects steering group, said: ‘The level of unemployment among young people in the Black Country is unacceptable and a waste of so much talent and potential. This project places young people at the centre of the solution, working alongside businesses like Huf, and breaking down some of the barriers that our young people face in getting jobs. We look forward to continuing to be part of the Talent Match project in the exciting years ahead.’

The project will include the development of local talent match hubs, including a communication hub run by and for young people, the provision of intensive mentoring support to all talent match customers and the development of new areas of support as identified by young people.

Thomas Christie, a young person who has been part of the steering group for the past year and involved in the recent recruitment of staff, said:‘I think Talent Match will make a real difference to many of the young people I know who have not been given the chance to show what they can do. I’ve supported Talent Match because of the commitment to place young people at the centre of decision making. I’m looking forward to being involved in the development of the communication hub and to being part of a project that aims to show what young people can do when given the chance.’

Ian Darch, the Chief Executive of WVSC, said:‘This is an important opportunity for a wide range of partners to work together, with the lead very much with young people; to ensure that those young people who have faced barriers in progressing towards and into employment are allowed to fulfil their full potential.’

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888

Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572

If you have a hearing or speech impairment you can contact us usingText Relay at

18001 plus 0191 376 1776

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website:

Ask BIG a question here:

Follow BIG on Twitter:

Find BIG on facebook:

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.
  • Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council can be contacted on 01902 773761 or via

Ends//

Issued: 21/01/2014

PN 14-01-17