£1m plan to tackle youth unemployment after Covid-19 turmoil

As part of the proposals agreed at its cabinet meeting on Tuesday, September 29, £500,000 will be spent on Kickstart to enable the North of Tyne Combined Authority to bring smaller employers into the new national scheme.

The new Government initiative provides funding to employers to create six-month job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Employers who can offer 30 or more placements can apply directly to the Department for Work and Pensions, but smaller businesses and charities who are able to offer fewer places need an intermediary.

The combined authority will therefore serve as a Kickstart intermediary to ensure even more placements are available.

Meanwhile, another £400,000 will be spent on Youth Hubs across Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside to help young people find jobs and training.

The combined authority will work in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and other stakeholders to create virtual and physical hubs across the North of Tyne area to help young people access Kickstart, apprenticeships, traineeships and other work schemes.

Northumberland County Council’s new deputy leader, Cllr Richard Dodd, said: “We don’t know how deep the hole is that we’re in and I’d say that it might be a long time before we know that, but I welcome everything that will give everyone a little bit of a nudge up.

“We get asked constantly when this pandemic will end and I don’t think anyone can ever answer that. Maybe the youth can help themselves by helping us end the pandemic, I don’t know how we do that, but everyone has to take some role.”

The combined authority sees tackling unemployment and improving people’s jobs prospects as a core part of its mission.

North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll said: “Young people have borne the brunt of past recessions. We will do everything we can to help them find paid work and protect them from the coming economic storm.”

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