Funding of over £400,000 has been agreed to extend a scheme which helps young people in East Suffolk to find employment.
At a meeting of East Suffolk Council’s Cabinet on 1 October, additional funding of £420,000 was approved to extend the Youth Employment Service (YES) from April 2025 to March 2028. Additionally, £190,000 in external funding has also been secured from Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) which will support the creation of an enhanced service to help young people with more challenging needs.
Delivered by Inspire Suffolk on behalf of East Suffolk Council, YES is an innovative project supporting local young people aged between 16 and 24 who are not currently employed or in education to receive job coaching, skills and employment training by providing bespoke online and face-to-face support. It also offers access to other support services and programmes.
Cllr Tim Wilson, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport said: "On average, YES has supported 300 young people each year since its inception, and I am pleased that council funding has been agreed to support this vital service for a further three years. The service has evolved in response to the current challenges faced by our young people and the need for more specialised support is clear. The external funding from NRS will enable YES to provide an enhanced service for those with more complex needs, including young people in the more rural parts of East Suffolk who sometimes struggle to access services.”
Information from local secondary schools has already identified an increase in the number of students who may be at risk of being unemployed or not in further education once they leave school and will likely require additional support.
The core service is being funded for 2024/25 through £140,000 of East Suffolk’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund 24/25 allocation.