Jobs for more than 100 Londoners thanks to our Skill Up Step Up campaign
Employers include Compass Group, which operate catering facilities at iconic London venues including Chelsea FC and the O2
/ ES Compositeore than 100 jobless young Londoners will be given a life-changing chance to grasp the first rung of the career ladder thanks to companies who have stepped in to support our Skill Up Step Up campaign.
Almost a dozen employers have so far pledged to hire 119 young Londoners who have been up-skilled by Springboard, one of the charities we are funding as part of our £1 million campaign in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills.
The employers include Compass Group, which operate catering facilities at iconic London venues including Chelsea FC and the O2, who have pledged 60 jobs, and PPHE Hotel Group, which owns the Park Plaza, has offered 50 jobs.
Islington restaurant Ottolenghi has weighed in with three jobs. This is in addition to the half a dozen employers who, as we have already reported, have pledged to hire young people whose skills have been boosted by our second charity partner, City Gateway.
It comes as data shows youth unemployment in London falling marginally to 98,000 in the three months from September to November 2021, down from 105,000 in the three months to September but still 44 per cent higher than at the start of the pandemic.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 19.5 per cent of Londoners aged 16-24 seeking work are jobless — 3.5 times the capital’s jobless rate for all ages — indicating the challenge facing young people. At the same time, with job vacancies announced rising to a record 1.247 million countrywide in October to December, there are opportunities which have been stymied by a stark mismatch between the skills demanded by employers and those offered by young people. It is this mismatch which our campaign charity partners are seeking to address.
Daniel Pedreschi of PPHE Hotel Group said: “We are proud to support the Skill Up Step Up initiative by offering a range of jobs across our portfolio to London’s young unemployed.”
Compass spokeswoman Donna Catley said: “We pledge 60 vacancies which include roles such as commis chef, chef de partie, barista and hospitality and customer service operator. This is a great opportunity to help unemployed young people in London find a job they can progress in.”