Helping young people work their way into employment

The 18 to 24-year-olds took part in the Talent Match initiative managed by East Durham Business Service (EDBS), based in Peterlee.

The three-part course has seen participants - who had been out of work or training for over 12 months - get qualifications in subjects such as business administration, customer service, retail, and health and safety.

The scheme, part of the Big Lottery Fund, is tailored to each individual’s needs, helping their development.

EDBS’s Simon Naisbett, who is managing the programme, said: “The number of disengaged and unemployed young men and women is a big problem in the region.

“Talent Match helps to tackle that by using activities which will interest and motivate them.

“It is so rewarding for us, and for them, to see them all walking away with a much-deserved qualification which will hopefully give them the skills, the confidence, and the self-worth, to be employable in the future.”

Mathew Thompson, 22, from Horden, who completed Talent Match, said: “If I had the chance to do this course again I would.”

For more information, visit www.edbs.co.uk or call Simon on (0191) 5863366.