A new Youth Hub offering support to young people looking for work is set to open in Bilton in November.
Based at the Bilton Health and Wellbeing Hub on Bilton Lane, it will bring together Department for Work and Pensions work coaches and partner organisations.
Young people will be able to access up to six months of tailored support to develop skills, tackle barriers to work and move towards long-term employment.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has welcomed the opening and called for wider action to support young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
According to figures highlighted by the MP, 981,000 people aged 16–24 nationally are NEET, representing 13% of the age group.
He said 1,315 young people in Harrogate and Knaresborough are looking for work – an increase of 115 compared with a year earlier.
Tom said:
“Nearly a million young people across the country are stuck outside work, education and training, and Harrogate and Knaresborough isn't immune. Every one of those numbers is a young person whose potential is being wasted, and the longer someone is out, the harder it is to get back in.
“That's why this Hub matters. Too often, support is scattered across different offices and phone lines. This puts it all under one roof, right in the heart of Bilton, and it's great to see Harrogate Town stepping up alongside the Jobcentre. Alongside the Harrogate College rebuild I secured, it means young people here will have better routes into skills and work than they've had in years.
“But a Hub on its own won't fix this. We need local employers offering placements and apprenticeships, and a thriving high street that creates the entry-level jobs young people rely on. I'll keep pushing the Government to back both. In the meantime, I'd urge anyone who works with young people to spread the word.”
The opening on 11th November comes as work continues on Harrogate College’s new campus.
The £20 million Department for Education funding for the rebuild had lapsed following planning delays.
Tom raised the issue in Parliament and met the Minister for Skills before receiving confirmation that the funding would go ahead.
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