Brighton & Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on youth employment

Brighton and Hove has seen an impressive reduction in the number of 16-18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training. On average over the last three months 6.7 per cent of young people have fallen into this category – the lowest proportion since records began in 2002.

Much of this is due to the work of the council’s Youth Employability Service (YES), which in just over a year has helped 463 young people find education, employment or training. Most young people are assigned a YES Adviser who helps them with CV writing, job search, application forms and interview skills. They can also support young people with advice, access to facilities, and help them apply for college, apprenticeships and other training opportunities.

The service is easy to contact – there’s a popular Facebook page, Youtube channel, a monthly bulletin, and a number of drop-in sessions across the city throughout the week. The team are also currently working with the young people’s Youth Employability Panel to develop a mobile phone app so that young people can keep in touch on the move.

Our approach has been used as a good example on a national level to show other councils how setting up a specialised local service is the best way to reduce the number of young people out of work, education or training.

The Youth Employability Service now plans to increase support to even more young people and is looking to work closely with the YMCA, housing associations, family services, and family nurses.

Young people are having a particularly hard time during this economic crisis, so it’s fantastic news that the figures for those in Brighton and Hove not in education, employment or training has dropped – and a tribute to the work of the Youth Employability team.
Visit facebook.com/yesbrightonhove