Mayor To Help Youngster Find Jobs And Training Opportunities Following Coronavirus Pandemic

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has taken another step to help youngsters find jobs and training opportunities following the coronavirus pandemic, helping them on the path to a successful career.

Mayor Houchen and the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s careers information website, TeesValleyCareers.com, has been entirely redeveloped in response to the coronavirus pandemic to give young people and their parents the best advice possible to help them find a new job or training course.

Working with Darlington-based Hush digital to redevelop the site, it now offers valuable resources on next steps for careers, apprenticeships and further education and practical advice on CVs, interviews and university applications.

Information on new job and training opportunities will be updated weekly, alongside regularly refreshed information on employment sectors in Tees Valley.

The £3million UK-first TeesValleyCareers.com initiative launched by Mayor Houchen targets every school and college in the Tees Valley, providing advice and support to about 100,000 young people. It aims to give children aged 11-18 seven direct and meaningful employer engagements, with 885 firms in the region signed up to the scheme.

To complement this, the website offers details on how schools and companies could join the scheme, but this has now been expanded to offer new sections for students and parents.

Studies show that just four engagements with the world of work significantly reduces a pupil’s chance of being unemployed and that, on average, they earn 22% more than those who have not engaged.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We are beginning our economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic and in doing so, we have to give the next generation of talent in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool as much help as possible to succeed.

“This new, improved, TeesValleyCareers.com gives students and parents all the options and information they need to move forward in a rewarding career right here in the Tees Valley, and it comes off the back of my £1million Emergency Apprenticeship Scheme to fund the salaries of up to 100 apprentices, filling the skills gaps our businesses are crying out for, and making sure no one is left behind.

“My jobs plan is about giving support to people of all ages, but especially our young people, to ensure they have the best, most meaningful start in life. It’s not fair that they could miss opportunities because of the uncertainty at this difficult time.

“The comeback is on in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, and this includes making sure our youngsters are part of my plans to create good quality local jobs for local people.”

Jonny Overfield, Creative Director of Hush Digital, said: “This has been a challenging but rewarding project. We needed something that not only could hold a lot of information, but looked fresh and appealing and was easy to navigate for all ages. The feedback from our clients, and from focus groups of young people and adults, has been brilliant and we’re proud to have been a part of something to help Tees Valley’s young people in these tough times.”

TeesValleyCareers.com is one of only a handful of schemes across the country to be successful in all three waves of the national Careers Hub pilot programme. The contract with the Careers & Enterprise Company has been extended to August 2021, and the Tees Valley Careers Hub programme has been awarded an extra £280,000 to continue its work in ensuring our young people have good quality knowledge of opportunities for job success.

Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority recently allocated more than £1million to education providers to support careers education across the region.

If you are a young person, parent, school or business who would like more information on careers advice or the wider initiative, visit TeesValleyCareers.com