Innovative support scheme for young people
Published: Tuesday 11 Apr 2017
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is supporting an exciting initiative to help young people in the region access education, training and work opportunities.
Youth Promise Plus is a £50 million Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and European Social Fund (ESF) funded project to support young people between the ages of 15 and 29 residing in Birmingham and Solihull.
Birmingham City Council are the lead accountable body for Youth Promise Plus with the aim to open up a variety of routes for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) to access opportunities.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the transport arm of WMCA, is supporting the project with tailored travel support advice and free tickets for interviews, training and employment.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the transport arm of WMCA, is supporting the project with tailored travel support advice and free tickets for interviews, training and employment.
YEI travel support project officers deliver expert advice and guidance sessions on journey planning, safety and building confidence to use public transport.
They work with partner organisations, includig Prince's Trust, University Hospital Birmingham and Solihull MBC, and also engage directly with groups of young people on a one-to-one basis.
One-week or four-week tickets for training are available, and also four-week tickets for unemployed young people when they start a job.
Claire Postin, Sustainable Travel Manager at TfWM said: Opening up opportunities for our young people is key to the Combined Authority's vision for the future.
We want to make sure they are equipped to play their part and benefit from the region's growing economy.
We are pleased to be part of this innovative scheme, working with local authority and other partners and provider organisations
More information about the project can be found at youthpromiseplus.com
The project has received £33,600,000 in funding from the European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.
The Department for Work and Pensions (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for the England European Social Fund programme.
Established by the European Union, the European Social Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations.
For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding