London,
08
May
2015
|
12:50
Europe/London

Ten Year Investment to Tackle London's Youth Unemployment

The City of London Corporation’s charity, the City Bridge Trust, has approved substantial extra funding to support work with hard-to-reach young people, by awarding £1 million each year over the next decade to youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

This grant, which is in addition to the £15 million the City Bridge Trust regularly awards each year to support London-based charitable activity, will finance projects intended to benefit the most socially-deprived communities in the capital - especially young people not in education, employment or training (NEETS).

The £10 million grant to the youth charity will be spread across ten years, helping to fund Prince’s Trust Centres across London which support young people in some of the poorest boroughs of the capital. Thanks to the funding, The Trust will be able to help more vulnerable young people, giving them the skills and confidence they need to move into jobs, education or training.

Almost one in four young people in London (23 per cent) are struggling to find a job .

The grant builds on the £3.2 million awarded by the City, over the last 18 months to London’s boroughs and charities across the capital, who work with young people to improve their lives.

The Prince’s Trust, which needs substantial funding to support 58,000 young people each year, has built a strong reputation for its work helping vulnerable young people turn their lives around. The charity is now calling on more companies and philanthropists across the capital to join the City Bridge Trust in supporting its work with vulnerable young people.

Since its inception, the youth charity has helped more than 750,000 young people, giving them the skills and confidence to boost their prospects.

The grant, which was approved by the City of London’s Court of Common Council, will focus on helping young people, facing the biggest barriers to success, to develop the skills and confidence needed to re-engage with education and gain employment. It will help to fund a range of Prince’s Trust courses – including the Fairbridge programme, an individually tailored personal development course for vulnerable young people. The charity supports 5,000 young people in London each year and three in four young people on its programmes move into work, education or training.

Martina Milburn CBE, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust said: “Thousands of young people across the capital are struggling to find their way in life – with many giving up all hope for the future. I’ve met young people who have been told ‘no’ so many times that they’ve lost the confidence to walk out of their own front door. Tragically, some are too scared to go to school because of bullies and others do not have a safe place to sleep at night.

“Thanks to funding from organisations like the City Bridge Trust, The Prince’s Trust can help these young people get back on their feet. We help them find a job or even start their own business, building a future that they – and their children can be proud of.”

Jeremy Mayhew, Chairman of the City Bridge Trust, said: “Our grant to The Prince’s Trust strengthens our existing support for the charity and the extremely valuable work it does for deprived communities in London. The charity has an excellent reputation for its work helping young people affected by unemployment, homelessness, and poverty. Tackling such problems is at the heart of the City Bridge Trust’s grant-giving strategy and we are confident that this 10-year grant to The Prince’s Trust will benefit many disadvantaged Londoners.”

Mark Boleat, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation said: “The issue of NEETS remains a cause for concern in the capital, with higher than average rates of unemployment among young adults. This issue not only impacts social mobility and cohesion but is leading to a skills gap in the workforce. The partnership between City Bridge Trust and The Prince’s Trust reinforces the Corporation’s on-going commitment to reducing youth unemployment and ensuring that young Londoners have the skills and opportunities to succeed in today’s fast-paced economy.”

Prince’s Trust, Job Ambassador, Seema Awan, added: “The support I received from the Prince’s Trust really helped me get my career back on track after spending a year unemployed. The 12 week personal development training course showed me that I had the skills and ability to succeed. Now I am in a position to empower other young people who face barriers, and inspire them to engage with the Prince’s Trust, as well as help shape the services offered to young people.”

For more information or to donate to The Prince’s Trust to help change more young lives, go to www.princes-trust.org.uk.

Notes to editors

For media enquiries, please contact Rachel Mortell, media officer at the City of London Corporation

Tel 020 7332 1528

Email rachel.mortell@cityoflondon.gov.uk

About the City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation, headed by the Lord Mayor, provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles: (1) To support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events, research-driven policies all reflecting a long-term approach. See www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details. (2) to support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills projects. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charity City Bridge Trust aims to address disadvantage across Greater London through quality grant-making and related activities. It makes grants of more than £15 million per year to charitable projects in London. The Corporation also supports education with three independent schools, three City Academies, a primary school and the world-renowned Guildhall School of Music and Drama. (3) To look after key London heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important ‘commons’ in south London. And – with its heart in London’s Square Mile.

About The Prince’s Trust

The Prince’s Trust helps the UK’s most disadvantaged young people turn their lives around. It supports 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed or those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law. Since 1976, the youth charity has helped more than 750,000 vulnerable young people, giving them the confidence, motivation and skills to get their lives back on track. The Prince of Wales’s charity supports over a 100 more each day.

In the year ahead, The Trust aims to support 58,000 vulnerable young people across the UK, helping to give them the skills and confidence to find a job. Three in four young people on Prince’s Trust programmes move into jobs, education or training. The Trust relies on donations to help disadvantaged young people transform their lives. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842

The Prince’s Trust is a current grantee of the City Bridge Trust. The organisation recently received £97,000 to support work with care leavers in South and East London. This grant is performing to plan and City Bridge Trust officers have witnessed first-hand the impressive work with young people and their ability as an organisation to work collaboratively with key stakeholders (such as local authorities and Job Centre Plus).