Blackburn College has launched a pilot scheme that intends to help young people into work.
In conjunction with the Job Centre and local businesses, the college has set up work academies and hopes to give 16 – 24-year-olds better chances of obtaining full-time employment.
The project comes just a week after figures released by the government showed that UK unemployment for people under 25 has risen to a 17-year high of 991,000, of which 4,665 live in the east Lancashire region.
Youngsters joining the academy will receive training, two weeks work experience and a guaranteed interview at one of the companies involved – which include Balfour Beatty, Asda, Matalan, Sainsbury’s, Primark, Argos and Debenhams.
Jess Criswell, head of business computing and technology at the college told the Lancashire Telegraph: “I believe no other Job Centre Plus in the area has managed to get any sector-based work academies up and running so nationally we are way ahead of the game.”
