Thousands of people have been helped into work and training in Nottingham in the last year, thanks to Nottingham City Council and its partners.
The total of 4,809 includes 2,300 local residents who were helped into employment and 915 young people into apprenticeships supported through the council’s Nottingham Jobs Hub. Since April 2016, 830 unemployed 16-29 year olds have benefitted from the Nottingham Works programme.
Nottingham continues to be ranked first out of the eight English Core Cities for the percentage of 16 and 17 year olds who are not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). Of the 2,728 sixteen year olds who completed school Year 11 this summer:
- 96.63 per cent (2636) went into further education, employment and training
- 2.82 per cent (77) are NEET (not in education, employment or training)
- 0.55 per cent (15) are ‘not known.’
Overall, Nottingham has seen the biggest fall in unemployment of any of England’s Core Cities, according to latest figures.
Unemployment in Nottingham City fell by 2.9% last month and by 6% in the last 12 months. Places like Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle all saw unemployment increase. Figures for the wider ‘primary urban area’ of Nottingham show unemployment fell by 2.6% last month and 4% over the year, the second biggest annual decline after Liverpool.
Councillor Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills at Nottingham City Council, said: “The latest reduction in unemployment is very positive. Nottingham City Council is leading the way and doing things differently to make a real change and these figures show that our approach is working. We are determined to deliver on our specific pledge to guarantee a job, apprenticeship or training place for every 18-24 year old in Nottingham City.
“We have set out our clear commitment to making sure the people of Nottingham have first access to jobs, training and apprenticeships. Our message is simple. There is some support for everyone. The role our partner organisations play is also important to achieving this goal. And with the help of local businesses we can continue to create more opportunities for local people.”
Nottingham Jobs is just one of the ways the council is doing things differently. Nottingham City Council, Job Centre and Futures Advice are working closely together. It is, in part this joint initiative that is delivering real results by reducing unemployment in the city.
One project under the Nottingham Jobs banner is the national award-winning and pioneering project, Nottingham Works. The £6.9m European Social Fund-backed initiative supports young people aged 16-29 years old who are at risk of social exclusion because they have little or no prospect of getting a job. It includes a package of intensive careers support, Traineeships, and grants to encourage employers to create vacancies for those who might otherwise struggle to get into work.
Under this project there are different schemes, including Step Into Work, which has six centres across Nottingham where people can access to skills training, advice and guidance, work related qualifications, job searches and work experience and voluntary work. There are also traineeship programmes, where young people can receive a weekly allowance to participate in a pre-traineeship programme to ensure they are able to commit to and succeed on a full programme.
The Futures Advice, Skills and Employment scheme offer a range of support for young people aged 16-29 including intensive careers support, Nottingham Jobs Fund and traineeships. The national award winning scheme is for those who face the biggest barriers getting into employment, while Nottingham Jobs Fund Plus (NJF+) is designed to support employers to create year-long jobs for people aged 18 to 24, who are considered to be at risk or involved in gang activity, ex-offenders, or those who have been unemployed for a least 26 weeks.
Nottingham City Council is committed to creating apprenticeships and, in the New Year will be recruiting a further 50 new apprentices for a range of roles. The council also supports local businesses by offering grants to create apprenticeship opportunities.
Jobs Fairs are important for job seekers to meet with recruiters. The city council support a number throughout the year including:
- The annual Jobs Fair at the Motorpoint Arena which attracted over 3,000 jobseekers and 100 employers
- Futures’ What Next careers and opportunities event which, this year, attracted over 5000 young people and their families to explore future options
- The Nottingham North annual jobs fair, which was attended by over 500 people, who met with over 40 local employers and training providers.
Reducing unemployment in the city is one of the key themes of the Nottingham Plan to 2020. The plan sets the overall strategic direction and long-term vision for the economic, social and environmental well-being of Nottingham. The plan was launched in 2009 and these latest employment figures are just one of the many successes achieved as part of the Nottingham Plan.
One Nottingham, which produced the plan in partnership with the council, and its Chair Jane Todd said: “It’s so encouraging to see how much we have achieved on the Nottingham Plan over the years. 2015/16 has been a successful year, especially for the city’s commitment to getting local people into jobs or training. The Nottingham Plan to 2020 is a long term vision and I hope that successes continue to show in Nottingham.”
For more information on finding work, training or an apprenticeship visit – www.nottinghamjobs.com/