The Isle of Wight Council has been asked by the government to share with other local authorities details of its successful local schemes to help young people into work.
Projects such as the council’s pre-apprenticeship and local apprenticeships schemes have helped successfully reduce the number of number of young Islanders who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). At the same time the schemes have also helped increase the number of apprenticeships being undertaken on the Island. Financial allowance Under the pre-apprenticeship schemes, the council, in partnership with local training providers, offers a six months financial allowance to young people for a work experience placement. The young people should then be ready to progress onto an apprentice. The council also supports local employers who take on young people onto an apprenticeship programme with grants of up to £1,500 on top of the national scheme Since its launch in January 2012, the schemes have attracted over 100 young people who have had at least a six-month experience with a local employer. Now the council, as part of the Department for Education’s Phase Four Local Raised Participation Age Project, has been invited to explain its successes to other local authorities at three regional events in Somerset, Birmingham and London. Heavy investment “The council has invested heavily in its priority of assisting young people into work and the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship schemes are clearly making a positive difference to the lives of many young people,” said councillor George Brown, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for the economy.. “Crucial to this success is the strong working relationship that exists between the council and work-based learning providers HTP, Smart Training, CLC and Island Training and also Island employers. “We are delighted we have been asked to share our experiences with other councils.” Since 2010, the Island’s NEET figure has fallen from over seven percent to 4.1 percent in January. The national NEET figure is over ten percent. The apprenticeship and pre apprenticeship scheme has helped drive up the number of Island apprenticeships by 2.3 percent on the Island to 1,730 over the last year Any young people or employer wanting to know more about the apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship scheme can contact the Isle of Wight Council’s Choices Centre in Newport High Street on 525927.
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