Newham Council is partnering with the Recorder to celebrate the Year of the Young Person, celebrating the achievements of young people and highlighting services and support groups aimed at them.

Newham Council has collaborated with more than 100 businesses this year to create 450 jobs for young residents who are at risk of long-term unemployment. This includes 60 council positions in marketing, communications, property, procurement and youth work.

Funded through the government’s Kickstart scheme, these jobs give young people the chance to gain valuable workplace experience and develop new skills. Young people also receive extra support to boost their future job prospects.

Zipporah Asare, of Forest Gate, recently completed a Kickstart job placement with the council. She praised the training, coaching and mentoring she received as part of the scheme.

She said she feels “privileged to have worked for Newham Council” and found it “a safe place to flourish”.

Zipporah credits her Kickstart placement with giving her the confidence to believe she “can do anything”, and she is now working for a TV broadcasting company.

Asif Sadeeq and Paul Fletcher, of Our Newham Work, the council service responsible for helping young residents to get back into work, said: “We have received some outstanding feedback from managers about the young people recruited through the scheme.

“Organisations have really benefited from the energy, enthusiasm and fresh perspective that young people bring with them.”

Farah Mohammoud, of Kickstart employer You Press Partnerships, was so impressed with the young people she interviewed that she recruited 10 instead of the originally intended five.

“It's been a month since we hired our Kickstarters and they are doing great work," she said.

Last month, the government announced the extension of the initiative until March 2022, giving more Newham young people the chance to take the first crucial steps in their career.

Our Newham Work also works with more than 40 construction developments to provide employment and training opportunities for young people.

Martin Mannion, who leads this work, said: “There is a huge skills shortage within the construction industry and this creates a lot of exciting opportunities for young people in Newham including apprenticeships, internships, T Levels and site work experience.”

To find out more about jobs, apprenticeships and training for young people in Newham, visit ournewhamwork.co.uk