April 18, 2012 11.50 am This story is over 142 months old

Lincoln College hosts 600 youngsters at employability event

Employability skills: 600 young people are attending a careers event at Lincoln College coordinated by Job Centre Plus.

Around 600 young people are attending on Wednesday a careers event at Lincoln College coordinated by Job Centre Plus.

The event is to launch a government programme called the Youth Contract, which aims to tackle unemployment amongst 16 to 24-year-olds by offering employers payments of up to £2,275 if they help young people with jobs or training.

Various employers and training providers will be at the event to offer advice to those who are seeking new skills through training or employment.

They also want to get the message across that there is a wide range of support available to them, whether they are struggling to find a job that suits their skills or because they have limited experience.

Ian Sackree, Vice Principal of Corporate Resources at Lincoln College, said: “As the largest training provider in the county we are delighted to work in partnership with the Job Centre Plus to bring about the launch of the Youth Contract.

“We would urge anyone not in training or education to come and see how we can help kick-start their careers,” he added.

It is hoped that the careers event will give the local economy a boost by getting young people into employment or training.

There are 160,000 incentive payments to businesses that employ 18-24 year olds through the work programme. 250,000 work experience places will also be offered to job seekers to allow them to gain skills.

It is estimated that half a million young people will benefit from this scheme and large businesses are already beginning to sign up to offer their help.