The Youth Offer

Published: 26 October 2012

We are pleased to announce our support for a new initiative which will make grants of up to £100,000 available to all 32 London boroughs, helping 1,000 young people across the capital into employment or apprenticeships. The ‘offer’ will be for work which is additional to publicly funded programmes and not as a replacement for public expenditure cuts.

The £3.28m scheme – entitled “Get Young People Working – The Youth Offer” – aims to help tackle the growing problem of rising numbers of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs). Grants will be used to support the costs of a voluntary sector partner with experience of working with the most disadvantaged young people. The scheme is being funded from our Bridge House Estates Fund and is additional to our usual grants budget. Our Grants Committee will make the awards, advised by the Trust’s staff and London Councils.

The number of NEETs has continued to grow in recent years, with 125,000 people in London aged between 16-24 – or 14% of that age group in the capital – falling within this category during the first quarter of 2012.

Mark Boleat, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, said:
“Young people are the lifeblood of London like any great city. They bring the ideas, innovation, and enthusiasm needed to drive our economy forward. That is why it is vital that the City plays its part in tackling the pernicious problem of youth unemployment facing communities across the capital.
“In our experience of supporting London’s third sector through the City of London Corporation’s charity, City Bridge Trust, we have found that the best outcomes are achieved when boroughs and charities work together in partnership to develop local, flexible strategies. That is why “Get Young People Working” aims to support grass roots initiatives across the 32 boroughs – each of which has its own specific challenges in this area.
“Youth unemployment is one of the biggest drivers of social exclusion and disadvantage today. The Government and the Mayor are doing a lot of work to tackle this issue but, as always, more needs to be done to prevent individuals falling through the net. This new scheme will make a tangible difference to local communities and ensure that we not only inspire a generation, but also help to employ one.”

This new grants initiative is the latest in a long line of City of London Corporation schemes aiming to support London’s communities by improving employability skills. Earlier this month, the City of London Corporation joined the Evening Standard’s ‘Ladder for London’ campaign by taking on 10 additional apprentices, having already facilitated over 90 apprenticeships under its City Business Trainee scheme. It also supports three City academies in Hackney, Southwark and Islington.