Vulnerable young people are to be given unique opportunities to gain employment experience and new skills from business leaders.
A partnership has been launched in North East Lincolnshire, bringing together the local authority, Humberside Police and E-Factor's business club Business Hive.
Hive Inspire aims to divert young people - between the ages of 16 to 25 - away from crime, with the lure of ‘county lines’ drug running a particular concern.
Jo Taylor, Business Hive manager said: “We are really passionate about our local young people and them all having opportunities to succeed. They are the future workforce, so we have a responsibility as a community to do everything we can to support them.
“Our aim is to connect ‘at risk’ young people, identified by children’s services within the local authority and the police, with businesses and entrepreneurs who can provide invaluable advice, support and experience in their desired area of interest.
“Through my initial conversations with many of our members, it was clear that in some cases they had faced similar difficulties in their younger years, giving them a greater understanding of the situation these young people might be in. This will also inspire the young people to know that it’s possible to grow through hardship.
“We are really thankful to the members for showing so much interest in helping to bring this initiative to fruition.
Most Read
.
“We are piloting the scheme in North East Lincolnshire; however, we hope that it will prove successful so that we can expand into North Lincolnshire, Hull and the East Riding.”
A special launch event at Healing Manor heard how organised crime groups often target children and young adults in vulnerable situations, whether that be through home life, education, their health or peer pressure.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Booker at Humberside Police said: “There is nothing we as a police service want more than to protect vulnerable people. It’s extremely upsetting to see young people getting involved in criminality based on false promises from exploitative gangs.
“Whilst we will continue to take robust enforcement action against those central to criminality, we also recognise the importance of early intervention work with young people, which our
Neighbourhood teams already do really well with local schools and community groups.
Get business news direct to your inbox
There's no better time to stay up to date with economic and business news from your region. By signing up for our daily newsletters, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups from all the major sectors, you get our journalism direct by email. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here
Don’t miss
“Working with the business community to help these young people in this way is something completely new for us, but we are confident this can have a real impact on these young people’s lives, whilst also helping to disrupt criminal organisations and make our communities safer and stronger.”
The new initiative looks to provide a positive diversion to these young people through connecting them with the business world and providing them with opportunities for mentoring, work experience, sponsorship and employment.
Cllr Ian Lindley, portfolio holder for children, education and skills at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Many of the young people we look after or come into regular contact with do have high aspirations to go onto further education, apprenticeships or employment, but through factors that are often out of their control, they sometimes don’t feel that they can achieve these goals.
“Our role in this great initiative is to identify the young people who are most likely to benefit from this support from the businesses, and hope that through these connections, it gives them the confidence and hope that they can achieve big things.
“We are really keen for our local young people to have opportunities to succeed in their own home town, so there is potential for this initiative to encourage that. Not only does that help to boost the local economy and reduce crime, but it also gives these youngsters a chance to build a real positive future here. It’s great to see the business community working with the council and the police to provide further local provisions and diversions for our young and vulnerable people.”
Do you follow BusinessLive Humber on and ? Click and engage to ensure you stay updated