Unique partnership offers Young People a New Direction

Thousands of unemployed young people across the Tees Valley are set to be helped into learning and work thanks to a brand new £7million project.

 Actes have joined forces in a unique partnership with New College Durham, Thirteen Group, Coast & Country Housing and North Star Housing to successfully secure over £7 million from the European Social Fund and the Department of Work and Pensions to enable them to deliver the new Youth Employment Initiative (YEI).

The project, called New Directions, will support people aged 15 to 29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) with specialist support to provide information advice and guidance, training, mentoring, apprenticeships, job placements and further education to help these young people move forward with their lives.

The project will also include a flexible fund to assist young people in overcoming the barriers such as the lack of right skills or of childcare which prevent them progressing and finding the right employment.

Chris Smith, Director of Business Development for Thirteen, said: “Housing has a really important part to play in the skills and employment support sector and this consortium is a really new way of delivering such a vital service that can impact massively on the area.

Sandra Phillips, Chief Executive of Actes, said ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with Thirteen, Coast & Country, North Star and New College Durham to utilise our expertise of working with young people to help move them closer to, or into employment, and in doing so improve the Tees Valley economy’.

To find out more about accessing support from New Directions contact 01642 947840 or email newdirections@thirteengroup.co.uk