New hub launches after Chesterfield found to have the highest rates of youth unemployment in the county
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The YES youth hub has been opened at Hunloke Centre, in Chesterfield, as a joint initiative of Derbyshire County Council and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), supported by partner services.
In January, there were 490 out-of work people aged between 16 and 24 in Chesterfield claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit – representing 5.2 per cent of the population.
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Hide AdThis is higher than the national average of 4.1 per cent and the average for Derbyshire as a whole of 3.5 per cent.
In comparison, the percentage for Amber Valley is 3.2, North East Derbyshire 3.7, Bolsover 3.7, Derbyshire Dale 1.9, South Derbyshire 2.7, High Peak 3.3, Erewash 4 and Derby 5.
A council report states the number of young people not in employment, education and training (NEET) has increased during Covid.
It puts this down to ‘the impact of the pandemic on traditional referral routes such as DWP work coaches, health providers and schools, who have had to focus on new issues brought on by the pandemic’.
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Hide AdThe physical hub is currently scheduled to operate until January 2023, with projected operating costs of £141,416, which includes a full time careers coach and hub workers.
Of this cost, £93,782 will be met by the DWP, while £47,634 will come from the council.
Further funding may be available from the DWP to extend the project for another 12 months should it prove successful.
A spokesperson for the authority stated: “The hub will help deliver the government’s multi-million-pound Plan for Jobs strategy and is just one of the initiatives the council is involved with to help local young people access training and job opportunities.
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Hide Ad“Supporting young people is a key priority for the county council, particularly as they have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.
“Across the county the figures for youth unemployment continue to reduce but our focus remains on supporting and investing in local young people, particularly in areas such as Chesterfield, where figures remain higher.”
The physical hub is already open and the virtual hub will be open in the coming weeks.