Plans for new youth hub in Telford welcomed

It was recently confirmed that Telford College has been successful in its bid to deliver the vital new facility as part of the Government’s Youth Guarantee. Operating in close partnership with Telford & Wrekin Council and training provider Landau, the hub is set to support approximately 300 young people aged between 16 and 24 each year.

When the service officially launches, it will specifically target young people who are not currently in employment, education, or training (NEET), as well as those who are currently in receipt of Universal Credit.

Participants accessing the hub will benefit from intensive one-to-one support alongside access to accredited training in essential subjects such as English, maths, and digital skills. The comprehensive programme will also offer employer-led events, hands-on work experience, and mock interviews to prepare young people for the workplace. To ensure holistic support, the hub will bring together a diverse team of experts, including Jobcentre Plus work coaches, employability specialists, mental health professionals, and housing advisers.

While the hub will operate from a central town centre base, organisers are keen to ensure that geography is no barrier to accessing support. Targeted outreach will be delivered in rural areas, specifically focusing on the TF1 and TF7 postcodes. A mobile teaching unit will be deployed to these locations, ensuring that young people across the entire Borough have equal access to the services on offer. Over the course of the 12-month programme, six major employer engagement events will be delivered in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), ranging from jobs fairs and apprenticeship events to specialised sector insight days.

Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Education and Skills, expressed her strong support for the initiative. She stated that the Council welcomes the decision and looks forward to working in close partnership with Telford College and Landau to expand local opportunities, enabling young people to pursue their long-term ambitions.

Councillor Reynolds noted that the new hub will significantly strengthen the support network already available locally, such as the Telford Job Box service based at Southwater One in central Telford. She explained that this initiative aligns seamlessly with the Telford and Wrekin Skills Strategy and the ongoing 'Stay Near, Go Far' campaign, which aims to raise awareness of local learning and employment opportunities so that young residents can stay local and thrive.

Reflecting on the broader economic climate, Councillor Reynolds added that recent findings from a national review into youth employment paint a stark picture of the challenges many young people face today. She concluded that through this new hub and strong partnership working, the local authority aims to buck the national trend and ensure that young people in the Borough have the exact opportunities and support they need to succeed.