Careers advice gets £900,000 boost

Cheshire East Council has led a successful bid to secure £900,000 of European funding to promote careers advice and boost skills and growth across the borough and beyond.

The council’s Skills and Growth Company collaborated with both Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester Councils in developing a joint bid to the European Social Fund to deliver a two-year careers information, advice and guidance project across Cheshire and Warrington, promoting our high-growth and key technology sectors to young people.

Councillor Don Stockton, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is excellent news for our talented young people and also for the local and regional economy as a whole.

“This is further evidence that Cheshire East is open for business – and means business when it comes to working with partners to support growth and jobs across the borough.

“This funding award is not just a great opportunity for Cheshire East to lead and deliver a local collaborative careers programme, it also sends a clear message about the great work being done to boost skills and growth across Cheshire and Warrington.”

The funding will help support more than 500 young people and create at least 150 new apprenticeships.

The project will help to raise awareness of the career opportunities within Cheshire and Warrington by providing a range of resources to assist young people to make better career choices, aligned to job opportunities, within the sub-region’s priority and growth sectors such as rail, engineering, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

Councillor George Hayes, chairman of the arms-length Skills and Growth Company, said: “This ambitious project will help to secure long-term benefits for our young people and our local businesses by providing comprehensive information and guidance to promote the exciting career pathways available across the sub-region.

“There will also be specific support to help those young people currently outside education, training or employment to gain additional support and skills to help them enter employment for the first time.”