We have received Youth Guarantee Trailblazer grant
We celebrating being awarded a £36,500 grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Youth Guarantee Trailblazer initiative, for the second time. The funding will allow us to expand our services, providing enhanced support for young people and helping even more of them access training and employment opportunities.
As part of the project funded by the initiative, We will run four two week 'RISE Employability Youth Course', the first starting on 27 July. This programme will be delivered from the Peterborough United Foundation's Youth Hub at the Weston Homes Stadium.
We will hold two Youth Employment Conferences at ARU Peterborough, with one for 18 to 24 year olds and one focusing specifically on 16-18 year olds. These conferences will be open to young people from across the city with support such as mentoring and mock interviews, as well as offering assistance with confidence building and help participants plan their future careers. We will also be holding a Careers Fair on 21 October at the Youth Hub.
In addition, our partnership work experience programme with the Nene Part Trust, Froglife and the WestRaven Cross Keys Homes Community Garden will return with two cohorts offering the chance to experience life as a park ranger and gain an insight into conservation work. Plus, the funding will allow us to fund a six month paid pre-apprenticeship opportunity at the WestRaven Garden.
We currently runs a wide ranging programme of courses and groups to help people of all ages into work and training. We work with partner organisations and employers from across the region to help end worklessness and reduce unemployment, with targeted, practical help. Last year our youth employment programme supported 20 under 25s into work and its Careers Club helped more than 82 Peterborough residents of all ages into full and part time jobs.
Our Chief Executive, Claire Higgins, said: “I am thrilled that we are once again recipients of this funding. It illustrates that we are really getting it right for the young people of Peterborough. It is especially gratifying to see the confidence CPCA place in us as the only housing association to have been successful in this round of funding in the region.
“It is great news to the young people of the city that we are able to increase the support we can in accessing work and training opportunities. We know that strong communities are built around financial security and pride in personal and collective achievements, and having high levels of employment goes a long way to achieving that. By offering young people the targeted assistance they need we will be able to empower them to start their adult lives from the strongest possible position. I couldn't be more delighted that we are able to do this.”
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, said: "We're taking urgent action to support more young people into education, training and employment, and it's great to see Cross Keys Homes joining up with other Combined Authority-funded projects like ARU Peterborough and the Youth Hub at Peterborough United to make that happen.
"Our Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is already making a real difference in our region, and this funding means even more young people in Peterborough get the support they need to build a better future."