Consortium creates new centre to tackle youth unemployment

Hull Esteem Consortium, which is delivering the bulk of the city’s £380m Building Schools for the Future programme, has unveiled an “innovative and exciting” facility to help young people gain support and advice on employability and skills issues.

The Exchange, located in the same building as the consortium’s offices in Wilberforce Court, Alfred Gelder Street, is intended as a hub that will help various agencies that support young people, including through work experience, enterprise opportunities, gaining life skills or supporting a route into education, employment or training.

It is the home of Kickstart, a programme run by Construction Works which aims to help young people who are neither in employment, education or training (or “NEETs”) gain the skills and knowledge they need to find a job or go into further education or training.

The Humber Education Business Partnership (EBP), which links education and business across the four Humber councils, is also based at The Exchange.

As well as providing expert advice and support, The Exchange also has a range of facilities including teaching space, a conference area, meeting rooms and a “hot desk” zone that schools, colleges, training organisations and support groups can use.

Sam Whitaker, general manager of Hull Esteem Consortium, said: “The Exchange is a really exciting opportunity for the city. When we were awarded the work to deliver the city’s new schools we made commitments about delivering wider benefits in terms of employment and training opportunities. The Exchange is really about us putting our money where our mouth is.

“Having the Kickstart and Humber EBP teams in residence really helps us provide a stand-out offer for local schools and young people looking for a helping hand.

“Add to that the state-of-the-art surroundings and we have somewhere the whole city can be proud of.

“We are hoping that The Exchange will play an integral role in co-ordinating employability and enterprise support in Hull, and with the uptake and positive feedback we have seen so far I’m sure that will be the case.”

Jenni Longden, Kickstart programme co-ordinator, said: “The Exchange has provided us with a great space in which to deliver our programme. It is a great boost for Kickstart participants to have the support and links that Hull Esteem Consortium can offer.

“We are really grateful for the opportunity to be part of The Exchange and I would encourage anyone involved with education or training to come down and have a look what’s on offer.”

The Exchange logo, design and layout of facilities and launch programme were all created and managed by a group of students from Malet Lambert School, one of the schools that is currently being transformed by the consortium through BSF.

Stephen Logan, business champion at Malet Lambert School, said: “The Exchange really is an innovative concept and a resource which all schools in the city should be tapping into. Creating stronger links between Hull’s school and colleges and its business community can only benefit the local economy.”

Hull has some of the worst youth unemployment rates in the country.

According to latest figures at the end of September, a total of 650 people aged between 16 and 18 in Hull were classed as NEETs, which represents 9.4 per cent. The national average is about six per cent.

The rate of 18 to 24-year-olds in Hull claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for up to six months was 12.6 per cent, compared to 8.9 per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber and 8.1 per cent across the UK.