Thu, 6 Nov 2014A multi-million pound investment in skills and training in Ipswich is designed to get 3,500 young people into employment. 

According to a press statement from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, business and local authorities have joined forces to invest £18m to equip people with the skills local businesses need.

The investment will be used to fund projects set out in the Greater Ipswich City Deal – an economic deal with local authorities and business groups, including a new youth employment centre and incentive scheme to encourage businesses to invest in training.

It also includes a successful bid led by Ipswich Building Society and supported by Suffolk County Council as part of the government’s Employer Ownership Pilot to secure a £5m government grant that will be used in conjunction with other financial commitments agreed in the Greater Ipswich City Deal.

The total investment will fund:

• MyGo, a new youth employment centre in Ipswich for 16-to-24-year-olds, which will open next month (December 2014). The centre will help at least 3,500 young people move into work by offering free training, as well as career and employment support

• An employer-led partnership of schools, post-16 and higher education providers that will deliver mentoring, summer schools and work related activities that will increase young people’s experience of growth sectors

• School work clubs, offering tailored support to year 11 students in Suffolk to help them to make a successful transition into post-16 education or to begin an apprenticeship

• A training cash incentive for employers in Suffolk and Norfolk to encourage employers to invest in training and developing the local workforce

• A programme calling on employers to encourage and support young people to understand the relevance of science, technology, engineering and maths in the local economy

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