WM Mayor Richard Parker has announced a £5.7m initiative to get unemployed people into work.
The funding for Connect to Work will be allocated across the seven councils in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area.
The initiative aims to help up to 1,400 18-to-24-year-olds with health conditions land jobs during its first year. It will potentially support thousands more in future years.
Mayor Parker said: “Every person in our region should have the same access to work opportunities – including people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.”
The initiative will build on the Thrive into Work programme, which since 2018 has helped nearly 9,800 people into work, WMCA said.
Youth unemployment in parts of WM double national average
WMCA said it plans to work with local businesses to understand their workforce needs so young people with the right skills can be matched to the right jobs.
Youth unemployment in the West Midlands is more than double the national average in some areas with over 26,000 18-to-24-year-olds claiming some form of unemployment benefits.
This news comes after the Chancellor announced the £250m Get Britain Working campaign.
