yourtown welcomes new funding boost to long-term unemployed young people
yourtown welcomes new funding of more than $1.5 million for training, work preparation and paid work experience to cut a path for 192 young adults, aged 15-24, to secure skills and enhance their future outlook and achieve economic security,” said yourtown CEO Tracy Adams.
“There is no doubt long-term youth unemployment remains an ongoing and urgent challenge in Queensland and across Australia. This funding will help many young people achieve work-ready skills to achieve economic security, and create the path they want for themselves,” said Ms Adams.
As we head into a fresh funding agreement under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, we thank the Queensland government for continuing to invest in yourtown as a leading provider of critical service offerings to deliver tailored support across seven South East Queensland projects focussing on youth employment outcomes,” says Ms Adams.
“Young people aged 15-24, with little or no work experience are especially vulnerable without targeted intervention, young adults are at a high risk of missing out on entering the labour market and, therefore, of being financially disadvantaged and even being welfare dependent for their whole lives. Long-term unemployed young people are also at greater risk of experiencing mental health concerns,” Ms Adams continued.
“Employment can be a pathway for maintaining better mental health and life outcomes and helps with social connectedness with others,” she said.
Ms Adams said, “yourtown will utilise the funding to ease the obstacles of long-term unemployment by increasing yourtown’s capacity to meet increased demand for their service offerings.
“The benefits provided by gaining new skills and experience really has a powerful ripple effect, positively impacting the lives of young people, their families, friends, neighbourhoods and the wider community. We remain young people-centric in everything we do,” said Ms Adams.
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people aged 15-24 were already disproportionately adversely affected in the labour market when compared to other age groups,” Ms Adams concluded.
yourtown is a charitable organisation, funded primarily by the community, that powers a range of service offerings to help children and young people realise they have the ability to tackle whatever life throws at them.
Media contact: Maree Reason-Cain, yourtown Corporate Affairs & Media Advisor
