Project to help vulnerable young people in Leeds and Bradford starts

An employment and skills project delivering mental health support for vulnerable young people in Leeds and Bradford is to be launched this summer.

As part of the initiative, young people who are facing barriers associated with mental ill health will be provided with a range of support by Leeds City Council and Bradford Council to access Education, Training and Employment (ETE) opportunities.

The project will build on existing local good practice to deliver a new integrated employability programme specifically for young people with mental health support needs, whether or not they are receiving out-of-work benefits.

Over the next three years the project will support around 1,100 young people in Leeds to improve their skills and significantly increase their prospects of moving into sustained employment.

The project will be aligned with existing services and programmes delivered by the council and its’ partners to ensure any Leeds resident not in employment, aged 15 and over can be supported.

‘The long term impact of Covid -19 on our most vulnerable residents is yet to be fully known, however, we are working closely with partners and other local authorities, to ensure support is available through programmes such as this for residents to access meaningful jobs and or educational opportunities,’ said Leeds City Council’s executive member for learning, skills and employment, Cllr Jonathan Pryor.

‘This project will run for three years from this summer, and will play a very important role in our work to ensure young people are given the meaningful support that they need. Our existing provision has also been aligned to ensure our employment and skills delivery is still available on line and or over the phone until we return to face to face delivery.’

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