Worksop charity that helps young people into work given £10,000 boost

The Youth Enterprise and Employability Academy was presented with the National Lottery funding after surveying firms across Nottinghamshire and finding that 84% thought school leavers were not ready for employment.

Of the companies surveyed, three-quarters put the situation down to a lack of work experience but, when asked whether they offer work experience, more than half of them said they did not . This is because of the cost and time needed and lack of information about what is involved.

In addition to work experience, nine out of ten companies surveyed said young people did not have even basic skills such as communication or team work, while 73% of young people believe they are good at communicating and 55% believe they are good at working in a team.

The Youth Enterprise and Employability Academy is developing and offering employability programme s that proactively engage with young people in order to help them to identify the skills needed for the world of work.

The a cademy has been running since 2015, becoming a charity in 2019, and is staffed by volunteers.

The charity will use these new funds from the National Lottery for its employability programme , which helps young people from across the county to make friends and learn new skills. While enjoyable, they also focus on gaining greater confidence, problem solving and important collaboration skills.

Kurtis-Jay Castle, founder and chairman of Youth Enterprise and Employability Academy, said: “We’re ecstatic that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised the academy in this way. So we would like to take this opportunity thank everyone who plays the Lottery. We will be able to press on with the development of our employability programme and broaden the opportunities available to young people.

“It’s only thanks to the hard work and commitment made by Jodie Streets and the team that we are here today. Sadly Miss Street is no longer with us, therefore our deepest condolences once again go out to her family.”