£1.87m to help young people into work and training
Birmingham’s young people aged 18 to 21, and most at risk of not being in training, education, or employment, are set to benefit from a £1.87 million programme.
The Youth Trailblazer scheme, initially running to March 2026, is designed to address this and to support Birmingham’s young people into employment, training, or apprenticeships through assistance such as CV and application writing, interview skills, and confidence building. A series of tailored work experience placements are also part of the programme, lasting between 40 and 180 hours over 4-6 weeks. These are intended to allow the participant to develop key work skills, with additional guidance and progression support to help move the young people into apprenticeships, jobs, or further training.
The funding supports a minimum of 700 participants for transition into work or learning. Additionally, funding provides work experience placements for 20 participants through subsidising employers and supporting young people with payments, travel, and subsistence.
This support is all part of a wider, coordinated skills and employment approach to tackle the city’s high unemployment levels and ensure young people can take advantage of available opportunities and enter employment.
To deliver the programme, Birmingham City Council (BCC) received 34 applications from provider partners seeking to deliver the support. An expert panel assessed all applications with 14 providers selected for the transitions support and two to co-ordinate placements. Some of the providers include: The Colebridge Trust Ltd, Aston Villa Foundation, Street League, United By 2022, Volunteer It Yourself, Witton Lodge CA, Digital Innov8ors Ltd, the Young Leaders Club CIC and the NHS Integrated Care Board. Outside of the funding awards, the City Council’s Early Careers team, which runs work experience, graduate placements and apprenticeships in the council and the BBC will also support the Trailblazer work experience placements.
By investing in skills and opportunities, Birmingham is not only helping the young people of today but also supporting community organisations that have expertise working with young people and engaging those most at risk.