MORE young people in Worcestershire are taking advantage of voluntary work experience opportunities and pre-employment training arranged by Jobcentre Plus.

New figures show 18-24 year-olds across the West Midlands have used the schemes more than 41,000 times in the last three years to improve their employability. Between April 2012 and May 2015 there were 29,800 starts made to the work experience scheme in the region, with a further 11,340 starts made on a Sector-based Work Academy, which offers pre-employment training relevant to local business, a work experience placement and a guaranteed job interview for jobseekers. The latest employment statistics show the West Midlands has 15,000 more young people in work than a year ago.

Government ministers have just launched the ‘WE can’ campaign, to match employers and young people for valuable work experience and pre-employment training. The initiative is being supported by 12,000 young people across the country and 84 youth ambassadors from the leading campaign organisation on youth unemployment Youth Experience UK, giving tips about setting up work experience placements

Employment Minister, Priti Patel, said: "As a one nation Government, we want every part of Britain to benefit from a growing economy and everyone who works hard to get the opportunities they need to succeed. That is why we have massively expanded our work experience scheme to give our talented young people the confidence they need to get that first crucial step on their career ladder. I’m always being told you can’t get a job without work experience and you can’t get work experience without a job. Now with thousands of young people moving into work experience or training every week, this should definitely help.”

Young people or employers wanting to get involved in ‘We can’ can visit: http://workexperiencecan.tumblr.com/