The number of job postings in Cumbria continued to outstrip the amount of people claiming benefits and actively seeking work according to the latest statistics.

Figures released by Cumbria Observatory last month showed there were 11,911 active online job postings in July.

However, the number of people claiming Universal Credit and actively seeking work stood at 6,795.

Shane Byrne, partnership manager for the Department of Work and Pensions in Cumbria, says helping younger people overcome issues with anxiety and self-belief is one important part of meeting the county’s skills challenge

"There are a number of young people looking for work," says Shane.

"They've often got issues with self-belief, anxiety, low mood and it's about how you get them lined up to think that they can work and that they can achieve.

"There's a real mixed bag. Some are from really deprived households, but some are from relatively affluent households, where mum and dad can afford to keep them. It works for both ends of the society.”

Shane says just as some younger people may come from a background where their parents do not work themselves, others are discouraged from working by parents who feel their children should be in seemingly more aspirational roles than those on offer.

However, he says people need to remember that entry level roles can lead to bigger things in the long run.

"We know that with the sectors that we've got in Cumbria, particularly tourism and hospitality, you can take an entry level position and walk away from it really, really quickly and develop a career,” he says.

“Our role is to manage their health journey for them. We work in partnership with the NHS to try and get them motivated to do things and take up activities that make them feel good and actually believe that they can do something."