Combined Authority given £500,000 to support training for young job seekers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic

Nearly £500k of new funding for school and college leavers has been released by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CaPCA).

The money from the Department of Education has been earmarked to create high value courses in 2020/21, and 2021/22.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, made a statement to Parliament in July, 2020, listing a number of training and spending measures to improve employment prospects of the many thousands of young people and adults aged 16-to-24, leaving school/college/university this summer who may find themselves not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

The Treasury estimated the total cost at £3bn, with CaPCA to receive £486,297 for the 2020/21 academic year, funding enough for two new programmes as part of the Government Skills Recovery Package totalling.

A significant part of the CaPCA’s role is to ensure there is a coordinated approach to the creation of new jobs and opportunities, including apprenticeships, placements and training that makes it easier for businesses to engage with.

Addressing CaPCA Board members at their online meeting (September 30), Laura Guymer, Apprenticeship Levy Advisor, said: “Approval is sought from Board members for the Skills Committee to have delegated authority to spend the £486,297 of funding for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, for the creation of sector-based work academies and high value courses via a procurement with local providers, along with the approval of the creation of the academies and the high-value courses via a procurement process with local providers.

“When this funding is received from the Department of Education it will be delivered through the CaPCA Adult Education Budget.

“The spend of the money is broken down into £241,361 across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years for the creation of sector-based work academies, and £244,936 to offer an enhanced one-year classroom based course for 18 and 19-year old students who’ve left school or college with no job, apprenticeship, placement, university or course to go to across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.”

Metro Mayor, James Palmer added: “I think the work that this team has done is extraordinary. To get funding of this magnitude is testimony to John T Hill, Director and Business and Skills at CaPCA, and to Laura and her team.

“The ability for us to get funding like this in the middle of the Covid-19 response is credit to the exceptional work done by the Skills Committee members.”

Board members unanimously approved the release of the funding to create high value courses for school and college leavers.