2000 young people to benefit from £3m boost to voluntary projects

TWO thousand young people will be given extra help to find work after a £3 million injection of funding by the Scottish Government.

Youth employment minister Angela Constance revealed that 24 voluntary-sector projects would benefit from the cash.

That, in turn, could see 2,019 young people given the chance to improve their employability.

Ms Constance announced the money, from the Scottish Government’s Third Sector and Social Enterprise Challenge Fund, as she visited one of the groups that will benefit.

Street League, which works in Edinburgh and Glasgow, will receive just over £93,000 for its work which uses football, together with education, to build confidence, develop skills and help young people into jobs.

Other groups that will receive money include Barnardo’s, the Glasgow Regeneration Agency and the Prince’s Trust.

Ms Constance said: “We have put record levels of investment into opening up opportunities for our young people to improve their chances of finding employment.

“The Third Sector Challenge and Social Enterprise Fund forms part of our unique guarantee to 16 to 19-year-olds that all will be offered a place in training or education.

“I am very pleased to be able to fund such a broad range of projects, all of which have a single goal - helping Scotland’s young people into a job.”

Speaking as she visited Street League in Edinburgh, the MSP said: “Street League is just one example of how to engage young people by wrapping up real skills training with something that many enjoy and I hope to see all 24 projects making a difference to the lives of Scotland’s young people over the coming months.”