A NEW £4.5 million employment programme unveiled today (Friday 20 February 2015) will empower North East businesses to future-proof their workforces whilst tackling youth unemployment in the region.
Over the next three years, Generation NE – a collaboration between five local authorities and the NELEP – will support the region’s SME community to strengthen their businesses by increasing sustainable employment opportunities for up to 2,000 young people.
To mark the launch of the new programme Newcastle, Durham, Gateshead, North Tyneside and Northumberland councils hosted an exclusive Round Table Debate this morning at Accenture.
The focus of the discussion shone a light on how small to medium-sized businesses can benefit from engaging with young people, how it could be made easier for companies to give young people a chance and how the region’s business community could enhance its engagement with young people.
Amongst the key business leaders who participated in the debate, which was chaired by Kim Inglis, were representatives from Accenture, James Burrell, Royal Mail, Gordon Brown Law Firm, Wessington Cryogenics, NECC, the North East LEP and Jobcentre Plus.
Councillor Grant Davey, employability and inclusion lead for the Combined Authority and leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “The launch of Generation NE will help ensure that all young people in the region believe they can, and have the ability, to secure a job.
“Investing in the workforce of tomorrow is one of the most effective ways for companies to strengthen their business. Generation NE will help facilitate this by working with employers to provide a simplified, coordinated and tailor-made package of high quality support as well as one-to-one advice on how they can increase the opportunities that they provide for young people.
“To launch the programme we brought together a number of key business owners and leaders in the youth employment agenda to discuss the issues that matter most to small and medium-sized businesses when it comes to future-proofing their workforce.”
The £4.5 million programme, which forms part of the NELEP’s Growth Deal, will work with small to medium-sized businesses in the region to create sustainable employment for 2,000 young people aged between 17 and 24 years.
Gill Southern, Joint Chair of the North East LEP’s Business Support Board, said: “It’s essential that small businesses are given expert support to employ more young people who are the future lifeblood of their companies and the wider North East economy.
“The £4.5m investment into Generation NE through the North East LEP’s Growth Deal is aimed at helping strengthen companies by offering a brighter future of job opportunities to local young people keen to get on the employment ladder.”
Generation NE’s team of dedicated Business Advisors will offer SMEs a tailored and impartial service that will allow companies to make connections with the region’s next generation in the right way. By offering a simplified, responsive and coordinated service, in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, this collaboration will expand the number of opportunities available to young people in the region.
Recent research* has found that many young people not in education, employment, or training in the North East feel disconnected and that nearly half (46 percent) cite a lack of experience as a barrier to employment and with a quarter (25 percent) believing their skills or qualifications are not good enough.
For more information on Generation NE and how its team of Business Advisors are helping North East businesses to engage with young people visit www.generationne.co.uk or call 0191 598 7458.
*Research completed in December 2014 as part of the report on ‘Youth Unemployment in the North East LEP Area – Beyond the Statistics’ on behalf of VONNE by Force-7.
CASE STUDY
NORTH EAST APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME: A PLATFORM FOR NATIONAL SUPPORT
As Generation NE paves the way for North East businesses to grow, an international technology firm is already benefiting from giving young people the chance to kick-start their careers, whilst future-proofing its business in the process.
Following the successful introduction of Accenture’s apprenticeship programme in the North East in 2012, the firm has already recruited over 50 apprentices in the region alone, offering young people employment opportunities to help fill the skills gap in the IT industry and become part of the UK’s path to economic recovery.
The programme has since been extended to London, Warwick and Newbury with almost 100 apprentices now on board throughout the UK.
Three years ago, after a period of growth at its North Tyneside office at Cobalt Business Park, Accenture needed to expand its skilled workforce to support the demand for technology services from clients.
Bob Paton, managing director at Accenture’s Newcastle Delivery Centre, was keen to grow future talent from within, and started the company’s hunt for applicants with no specific qualifications, but with a genuine interest in technology and how it is applied in the business world. Candidates also needed to be able to manage working and studying at the same time.
Bob said: “The university route is not right for everyone. At Accenture, we understand that and don’t close the door on young people if traditional higher education isn’t for them.
“From day one, our apprentices earn a salary while developing expert IT skills at Newcastle College in the first year of the programme, and Northumbria University in years two and three.
“It is great to see five North East Local Authorities and the NELEP coming together to launch Generation NE. As a company we’ve seen first-hand how both businesses and young people can benefit from the real-life work experience that an apprenticeship programme can offer, while allowing businesses to bring a fresh new outlook to the company. I would urge any SME which wants to enhance and rejuvenate their business to contact the team of business advisers. Young people are the future.”
Accenture’s three-year apprenticeship programme combines structured IT training complemented by on-the-job learning, as apprentices work towards achieving either a Higher Apprenticeship for IT, a Level 4 BTEC Diploma or a Foundation Degree.
Ellie Gangel, 18 from North Tyneside, decided to apply for Accenture’s apprenticeship programme last year after receiving a recommendation from a friend already enrolled in the scheme. She said: “Before starting my apprenticeship with Accenture I had an interest in IT but didn’t think I had the right skills to secure a place on an apprenticeship scheme.
“I was so happy to be given a chance and found that computer skills came naturally to me because of the tech-savvy generation I’ve been brought up in. Learning the job in a real working environment has hugely boosted my confidence and set me on the right track for a successful career in the technology industry.
“The structure of the apprenticeship programme is fantastic and I can’t believe how much I’ve learnt in just five months thanks to all the great training I’ve received so far.”
Lewis Reed, 22 from Whitley Bay, was interested in starting an apprenticeship with Accenture thanks to the company’s real-life work experience method of learning after deciding university wasn’t right the route for him following two years of studying computer science.
He said: “I’ve always wanted to work in the IT industry and initially assumed that going to university was the only way I could achieve this, but after starting my course I knew that I wouldn’t get to where I wanted to be through university.
“Being part of the working environment at Accenture, trusted with my own day-to-day responsibilities has helped me to mature so much. I’ve learnt a lot from my colleagues, things I would never have learnt in a classroom.
“I’ve been given so many great opportunities thanks to my apprenticeship. The highlight so far was getting to travel to India to work in Accenture’s offices there, it was such an amazing experience.”