A FACILITY to support young people with learning, training and work has opened at Fife College’s Dunfermline Campus.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Youth Hub will focus on supporting 16-24-year-olds after leaving school or further/higher education, particularly those who have struggled to sustain a positive destination.

The hub, which will involve staff from the college, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Jobcentre, will also offer employability skills to support young people who may have lost their jobs or an apprenticeship due to the pandemic.

Designed to encourage an improved collaborative approach between partner organisations who deliver youth provision, DWP Youth Hub Work coaches will work closely with young people who require support to attain employability skills and address specific barriers impacting their careers journey.

The benefit of the new approach – which is part of the UK Government’s £30 billion Plan for Jobs – is to provide access to a wider range of support which can be accessed easily in the one central location.

Dawn Clark, manager of admissions, employability and customer services at Fife College, and Chair of the Youth Employment Delivery Group for Fife, said they were pleased to be working closely with their partners on the new facility.

"The hub is a fantastic opportunity for us to work closer with them and support their services," she said. "Being located within the campus, the hub is also a great new way to bring education and employability together, ensuring young people in Fife can easily access the tailored support they need to progress their career journey.”

Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman MP attended the official launch of the hub and said: “For a lot of young people, trying to get a job has never been harder than it is now as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have led to lots of firms downsizing and shedding jobs.

“At the same time, many companies’ demands for new skills is increasing as they try to keep pace with the demands of the 21st-century economy and a different kind of jobs market after Brexit and post-COVID.

“If you’re a young person looking to get a job, that’s a lot to contend with. That’s why this new West Fife Youth Hub is so important – it provides a one-stop shop for people in education or on benefits who are looking to progress their career or just get their foot on the jobs or training ladder.

“This hub is just what we need, just when we need it, and I’ll be keeping a keen interest in the difference it makes in our community in the months and years ahead.”