Council employability project makes finals of national awards

An innovative project supporting young people who have experienced barriers to employment has resulted in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council becoming a finalist in a national public sector awards programme.

During 2021-2022, the Council’s Pathway to Work project supported 63 care experienced young people. Of these, 16 secured employment, 12 went on to higher or further education, three secured apprenticeships with the local authority, and two gained apprenticeships with EE.

Members of the Council’s Employability and Children’s Services Team will be in London tonight (8 March) to attend the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards 2023, after making the final three in the Customer Focus category.

The award is for delivering ‘outstanding service to customers’, and the Council has been shortlisted alongside two other innovative schemes among the 260 award nominations from 76 different public sector organisations from the UK and overseas.

Pathways to Work supports school leavers with careers advice; access to employment, training programmes and apprenticeship schemes in the Council and through networks of private business and industry; an active offer of education, work or training; and support to attend college or university.

The Council has also partnered with EE to pilot the ‘Seren Dyfodol’ employability scheme for 14 to 16-year-old for care experienced young people.

The programme helps the young people with homework, work experience and sports activities of their choice over two years. They are then guaranteed an EE apprenticeship, if they wish to access it.

And as part of the scheme the Council’s Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) project, a six-month paid work placement, three young people are now working for MTCBC in various roles.

Council Leader Cllr Geraint Thomas said: “The Council’s Pathway to Work scheme is a collaborative project between our Children’s Services and Employability teams.

“We have a number of highly successful case studies where young people with significant barriers to employment have been supported into training, or after a long period of non-engagement, have engaged with services supporting them to become job-ready.

“We are delighted that our Pathway to Work project is being recognised for these achievements on a national stage, a fitting reward for the hard work carried out by the team to give disadvantaged young people the chance to succeed in life.”

• iESE is a not-for-profit organisation created by local authorities as a shared resource to transform public services and retain experience within the sector.