A new £5 million fund launched by National Grid aims to support 5,000 young people over the next five years who are not in education, employment or training.

Starting next year, the ‘Power Within Employability Fund’ will support up to 1,000 young people a year across the UK to develop the skills, qualifications and confidence needed to access long-term career opportunities, including across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

The announcement comes less than a week after the Prime Minister unveiled plans to put technical education on an equal footing with academic study.

Under the Prime Minister’s plans, employers, schools, colleges and local leaders will work closely together to ensure young people can develop the skills businesses need and access opportunities closer to home.

Rather than being designed solely in Westminster, these new technical pathways will be shaped around the industries driving growth in local communities. National Grid’s new fund is one of the first major commitments from an employer to back the Prime Minister’s announcement and it builds on the growing movement of employers supporting young people into work.  Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:

"Last week, we announced fundamental reforms to the education system to ensure there’s parity between academic and technical routes – giving all young people the chance to a clear path in life.  A key part of this is matching employers to young people to ensure they get the skills, technical knowledge and experience they need.  

"National Grid’s announcement is exactly the kind of response we want to see. Not only are they powering our country every day, but they’re putting real energy behind helping thousands of young people gain skills, build confidence and take their first steps into work. "

We’re determined to fix the youth unemployment crisis and restore opportunity and hope across the country.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said:

"Demand for skilled workers in clean energy is growing thanks to our drive for clean power, which has attracted over £100 billion in private investment.

"Young people up and down the country will benefit from 400,000 extra clean energy jobs by the end of the decade, and we’re working closely with companies like National Grid to make sure people are trained up and taking advantage of these opportunities."