At the end of 2009 the Prime Minister announced he will build on the September guarantee by offering a place in learning to all 16 and 17 year olds who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) in January 2010. As a result, unemployed young people living in Southwark received extra help from their personal advisers to access the January Guarantee and Future Jobs Funds opportunities following a successful pilot programme aimed at 16 – 18 year olds in the borough.
The pilot funded by Prospects Services enrolled eleven young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) and offered a two-week intensive programme of support that included CV/covering letter preparation, interview scenarios, canvassing employers for vacancies, tour of opportunities providers, group interviews by local employers for real jobs and long term work experience placements.
Gloria Ibe, Operations Manager at the Southwark Connexions Centre said: “the outcome of the pilot was outstanding. Ten clients progressed into positive activities with only one young person leaving the project. The success rate was high and very encouraging. This strategy will help us increase take up for the January Guarantee scheme amongst NEET 16 and 17 years olds.”
The young people were awarded certificates and goodie bags by Darren Coglhan from Southwark Council. Southwark Council has offered additional funding support to enable the project be made available to clients on the NEET register from April 2010.
Even with the continued economic downturn, Southwark Connexions has reported that young people in the borough are managing to hold their own during the recession by remaining in, or securing, work, training and education opportunities. One of the key aims of Connexions is to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. The latest figures for Southwark show that the end of year NEET figure has come out at less than 9%, beating both Southwark’s target and last years figures, despite the widely-reported deteriorating employment situation.
This guarantee will be backed by £40m of additional investment from the Department and provides an excellent opportunity to help young people to re-engage quickly in positive and productive learning, and reduce the risk of long term disengagement. Local authorities are responsible for delivering the Guarantee.