Hounslow Council Launches Youth Skills Initiative
Aim is to boost opportunities and encourage the borough's growth
Steven Forbes (Hounslow Council’s Executive Director of Children’s and Adults Services), Zion Chambers (Project SEARCH Graduate), Marcus Gayle (Brentford FC Club Ambassador), Kinan Patel (Project SEARCH Graduate), Cllr Shantanu Rajawat (Leader, Hounslow Council), Sally Stephens (Brentford FC Fan & Community Relations Director), Georgie Cox (Project SEARCH Graduate), Mariya Rubtsova (Project SEARCH), Lily Bath (Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Children, Skills and Employment), Dimitar Rusev (Project SEARCH Graduate)
June 30, 2023
Hounslow Council has launched a Youth Skills and Employment Guarantee (YSEG) with the aim of boosting opportunities for young people and boosting grown in the local economy.
It is hoping to work in partnership with local business, education providers and the voluntary sector to bolster the offer for young people aged 14-25.
Job prospects for some of the borough’s young people remain tough with the number of 16-24-year-olds receiving Universal Credit still being double what it was prior to the Covid pandemic.
The initial ambition of the YSEG is to ensure all young people aged 14-25 have better access to the skills and employment opportunities across Hounslow.
The offer to young people will include:
• Skills pathways that ensure young people are equipped for future employment opportunities
• Richer, better quality work experience and training programmes including apprenticeships
• Improved access to information, advice, and guidance to help navigate opportunities available through the Council and partners
The YSEG will endeavour to remove barriers and improve outcomes for young people who currently have difficulty accessing skills, training, and employment including those with special educational needs and disability (SEND), care experienced and those who have experienced or have been supported by the Youth Justice System.
Further work will be undertaken to address other areas that disadvantaged young people experience throughout their life journey (0 to 25) to maximise the benefits of learning, skills and securing good employment opportunities.
At this week’s launch at Hounslow House, the likes of Brentford FC, Hilton Heathrow, JC Decaux, Marriot Twickenham and Sky were among the local employers looking to pledge their support.
Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, Leader of Hounslow Council said, “We know how tough it is out there for our young people but there is an appetite within the Council and our partners to do something about it. We want to start a movement that equips young people for the future, enriches local businesses with talent and boosts Hounslow’s economy. Today is just the beginning.”
Councillor Lily Bath, Cabinet Member for Education, Children, Skills, and Employment added, “Our academic successes in Hounslow are well documented: 77.4% of GCSE students achieved Grade 4 or above in English and Maths last year, while we enjoyed a 98.3% pass rate at A Level. But we also need to focus on achieving the same excellence for young people transitioning into employment. Our YSEG will be fuelled by the passion and expertise of local education professionals and our brilliant public, private and voluntary sector. It’s an exciting prospect.”
Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills said, “ISupporting young Londoners who face the biggest challenges to fulfil their potential is something that the Mayor has championed in his skills programmes which are seeking to help Londoners access learning and get into good jobs, and his New Deal for Young People programme which is facilitating access to high-quality mentor opportunities for young Londoners most in need. This guarantee is an exemplar of the council working in partnership with local business, education providers and community groups to put young Londoners at the heart of a fairer, more prosperous London, in which everyone has the chance to thrive.’
The launch was in tandem with the graduation of DFN Project SEARCH’s Class of 2022/23. DFN Project SEARCH is a one-year transition to work programme for young adults with a learning disability or autism spectrum conditions.
Hounslow is one of over 100 Project SEARCH sites across the UK. The programme increases a young person’s employability from 4.8% to 60%. Hounslow Council’s programmes have regularly achieved outcomes of 70% plus into full time paid employment.
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