MORE than 60 young people are benefitting from specialist support to get on the career ladder thanks to the new York Jobcentre Digital Youth Hub.

Youth Hubs are part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs to give 18 to 24-year-olds extra help to find work, re-skill for alternative careers and access training opportunities.

Joshua Johnson, from Rawcliffe, took advantage of York's Youth Hub, which led to him securing a job as part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme.

The 19-year-old has started a six-month placement with tech start-up, Find Others, working as a junior developer.

Joshua said: “Before I joined the Youth Hub I was unemployed and looking to enter into the IT industry to start my career. I did not know anybody in the industry and had very minimal industry experience.

“The Kickstart scheme has helped me land an entry-level position as a junior programmer, and I hope to use this to begin and further my career in programming.”

Minister for Employment, Mims Davies said: “Joshua’s story is a great example of how our new DWP youth offer, including Youth Hubs and the Kickstart scheme, are giving local young jobseekers in York the key support they need to find employment and access important training opportunities in a range of settings.”

Jenny Shaw, Work Coach team leader at York Jobcentre, said: “Youth Hubs are where young people can feel comfortable about getting job help from people who understand what they’re going through. We’re not going to treat every young job seeker the same. We know each will have their own ambition and we want to support them with that as best we can in these tough times.”

Georgina Hollis, from Find Others, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Joshua, along with three other Kickstart candidates to the team.

"As soon as we heard about Kickstart, we didn’t hesitate to sign up to offer these opportunities. It really is a fantastic scheme and gives young individuals an opportunity to gain valuable, real-world experience during this difficult time. We were blown away by the quality of candidates and have been very impressed with their contribution so far.”

York Digital Youth Hub is working with different training providers and support organisations including Aspire-igen, York Learning and Citizens Advice to support young people.