A HUB for young people has launched following the chancellor’s recent announcement for jobs.

On Friday, October 1 a networking event took place at Project John, situated on Cavendish Street, Barrow to highlight the opening up of the face-to-face Youth Hub support on offer for 16-24 clients.

Youth hubs are a hugely important part of the plan for jobs and allows young people to engage in an informal environment.

The hub will offer a holistic range of support including housing advice, advice on how to get a job, banking advice with help from HSBC, education, training, wellbeing and much more from a range of partners.

Department for work and pension (DWP) senior partnership manager for Cumbria and North Lancashire, Elaine Herbet said: “The youth hub in Project John has been physically open since the July this year however we have been running a virtual service since September 2020 providing a holistic range of partners working with a range of our young people including inspire and Cumbria adult learning.

“Today we invited all our partners along so they can speak to each other about the work they are doing together in the hub.

“We also invited one of our young customers along, Iestyn who has been successful in gaining a kick start placement and successfully completing the placements he has gone on and been offered an apprenticeship by BAE.”

DWP partnership manager Judith Wilkinson said: “The youth hub is a DWP team and is working in project john delivering our services in a very different way compared to the job centre.

Some young people like to come into Project John as it’s a well-known venue and they feel comfortable, they open up to us and we also work with the partners to support them and move them forward into work, education or training.”

22 year old Iestyn Macloone who secured an apprenticeship at BAE through the job centre said: “I got onboard with the princess trust programme. I did a four-week course of apprentice jobs and aftet that they asked if I wanted to kick start at BAE and do a paid to movement work.

“I took the amazing opportunity and it was a wow factor.

“I’ve now secured an appretichip at BAE and have been there for seven months.

“I’m really enjoying it, the opportunity was amazing.”