Mayor gives £11.5m to help young into London jobs

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has allocated £11.5m towards apprenticeships and training for 8000 young people.

The funding will be used to provide skills, training and mentoring to assist 15 to 19-year-olds into London jobs.

The funding is from the European Social Fund and £5m will be invested in pre-Apprenticeship support and £6.5m will be invested in programmes that support those who are not in education, employment or training.

The venture will pre-train candidates for specific apprenticeship programmes and offer continued support and advice for a period of six months.

The Mayor said: “It is the people of London that enable this city to thrive during the tough times. Young apprentices are key to the future prosperity of the capital and it is essential that we continue to invest in and build a skilled workforce to maintain our competitiveness.

“One of my main priorities is providing life-changing opportunities to young Londoners who have fallen out of the education system or lack the skills necessary for employment. This funding is a major step in delivering this.”

The Mayor believes that investing in young people and teaching them new skills will contribute positively to any workforce.

The endeavour will also promote London’s resilience to emerge from the recession with great business opportunities and new jobs.