Work coach scheme will be expanded

A BIRMINGHAM-based work coaching scheme where professionals help young people find jobs is to be rolled out under the Midlands Engine strategy.

The scheme has already helped 15,000 disadvantaged young people in Birmingham but now £12 million of funding will see it expand to the Black Country and Coventry.

Work coaches were championed by Conservative mayoral candidate Andy Street while he was chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership – the city’s business investment agency.

He said: “Eradicating youth unemployment in the West Midlands is one of my key pledges ahead of the election on May 4.

“Rolling out the Work Coaches programme to the whole West Midlands was one of the key ways of achieving this ambitious target.”

Mr Street is also calling for the mayor and West Midlands Combined Authority to take control of a £150 million Apprenticeship Levy fund for the region to tailor the training, and the new ‘T-level’ qualifications to local industry.

But Erdington Labour MP Jack Dromey said that while he welcomed the Midlands Engine funding, it did not go far enough.

He said: “Once again Birmingham and the Midlands has been left behind London.

“We have secured £392 million for our region but London has been awarded near ten times that amount for Housing alone. Neither does the fresh investment begin to compensate for the huge cuts to council budgets.

“Birmingham alone has lost £700 million.”