Council helping the Pledge to broker links between local employers and their future workforce

Cheshire West and Chester Council are pleased to be able to continue to support Youth Fed to deliver the Pledge as part of its UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) People and Skills Programme.

The Pledge has delivered support to schools, colleges and employers across Cheshire West for 4 years, funded previously through European Structural Funding (ESF).  By fostering stronger links between the partners, they can broker employability activity and raise the profile of the local employment opportunities in the borough from a range of sectors.

Without this additional resource, young people, their parents and their tutors are unaware of the plethora of local job opportunities and the routes to access them, and many requests from employers to schools are lost amongst busy inboxes.  Quality, up-to-date careers information, advice and guidance is crucial in supporting young people to make informed decisions regarding what options to take, what work experience placements to seek and what skills and behaviours are required in today’s world of work.

This activity complements the in-school support provided by The Careers & Enterprise Company locally by the Careers Hub within Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington.

Cllr Nathan Pardoe, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation said:

“Cheshire West and Chester Council are pleased to be able to support the Pledge for another 12 months, building on the valuable work they have achieved to date. This includes co-ordinating apprenticeship and job fairs, facilitating employer visits for our vulnerable young people, supporting employers to consider apprenticeships and work placements for vocational programmes offered through our colleges and training providers.

"The project has grown from strength to strength and hopefully more employers will be able to benefit from accessing the Pledge’s support and guidance. In particular, we hope that this continued investment will support more young people, along with their talents and enthusiasm, in joining our thriving local economy.”

Trevor Langston, Project Lead for the Pledge said:

“We are very proud of the impact we have had in Cheshire West and are grateful for the continued support of Cheshire West and Chester Council for providing generous funding via UKSPF. This funding will allow the Pledge to bring together even more young people, employers and educators to help individuals make more informed decisions about careers that match with the opportunities available locally.”

For more information on the project, please email: 

trevor.langston@youthfed.org

More information on UKSPF can also be found on the Council website:

People and Skills | Cheshire West and Chester Council

For more information on The Careers & Enterprise Company, visit:

The Careers & Enterprise Company | The Careers and Enterprise Company

The Pledge Project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus - visit: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus