The funding was allocated to programmes that can demonstrate their effectiveness in working with the young people in greatest need of support and follows on from the first wave of funding in 2016.
In total, the investment will support 21 organisations across the country delivering over 400,000 tried and tested careers activities and programmes to over 143,000 young people nationwide that focus on work experience, enterprise education, volunteering and skills development.
This comes at a time when careers provision is in the spotlight with the government launching their Careers Strategy in December 2017 and an emphasis on schools to ensure they are meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks. This funding will help schools and colleges in the local area address gaps in their careers and enterprise provision and ensure that young people have access to the employer encounters they need to prepare for their futures.
Organisations to receiving funding in the region include:
|
Organisation |
Funding |
|
EDT |
£12,300 |
|
Founders 4 Schools |
£8,250 |
|
Future First |
£29,985 |
|
VIY |
£31,170 |
|
Young Enterprise |
£46,058 |
CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, Claudia Harris, commented: “I am delighted that we have been able to invest £1.5 million to support proven careers and enterprise programmes across the second wave of Opportunity Areas.
The Opportunity Areas remain a primary focus in our ongoing work to tackle social mobility. Since the launch of the first Opportunity Areas Fund we have launched our Cornerstone Employer initiative which now has over 50 businesses working to ensure that young people are fully prepared for the world of work. With young people needing at least one employer encounter per year whilst still at schools or college, this funding will go a long way to helping providers and schools prepare them for their futures.”
About the Opportunity Areas Fund:
Following £1 million invested in the initial Opportunity Areas as part of The Careers & Enterprise Fund 2016, we are targeting another £1 million in the Government’s new Opportunity Areas in 2018.
The areas, identified by the Social Mobility Index, are:
- Bradford
- Doncaster
- Fenland & East Cambridgeshire
- Hastings
- Ipswich
- Stoke-on-Trent
Funding is invested in programmes that can demonstrate their effectiveness in working with the young people in greatest need of support. This funding gives young people in school or college in the Opportunity Areas a chance to access encounters with an employer. We are continuing with the 'rate card' approach, giving schools and colleges the power to choose services that will work best in their community and address gaps in their careers and enterprise activity. Our fund prospectus explains this process in more detail.
About the Opportunity Areas:
The Opportunity Areas were selected on the basis of the Social Mobility Commission’s social mobility index, containing a range of indicators equally weighted amongst: early years, schools, youth, and adulthood. The Opportunity Areas all score in the bottom fifth of the index and were labelled ‘social mobility cold spots’. These are Blackpool, Bradford, Derby, Doncaster, Fenland & East Cambridgeshire, Hastings, Ipswich, Norwich, Oldham, Scarborough, Stoke on Trent and West Somerset.
About the Careers & Enterprise Company:
The Careers & Enterprise Company was set up by Government in 2015 to inspire and prepare young people for the fast-changing world of work. Its role is to be the national network that connects schools and colleges, employers and careers programme providers to create high-impact careers opportunities for young people.
The Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network is made up of 2,000+ senior business volunteers, currently works in over half of the country’s secondary schools and colleges, supported by more than 100 trained Enterprise Coordinators who are co-funded with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). www.careersandenterprise.co.uk