Thirty unemployed young people from Bristol will benefit from the chance to improve their skills for work as part of a new campaign to help them find employment.

The ‘Backing Young Bristol’ campaign, which is being run by the Bristol Partnership, is tackling youth unemployment to give young people better opportunities to develop the right skills and find work. The campaign will focus on a number of initiatives over the next 12 months - one of which will match 30 young people with local employers to help them gain work experience and coaching.

As part of the campaign, the 30 young people selected recently spent a day with engagement and progression specialists from City of Bristol College and partners. Each young person identified three employers to approach with a request for an eight-week work placement, and their chosen employers will be contacted in the coming weeks.

One young person taking part is Shannon Ogborne from North Bristol. Shannon didn’t enjoy her time at school and left with low self-esteem and little motivation to carry on her education.

After leaving school, Shannon quickly became restless and wanted to do something to fill her days. She contacted a local training provider and was placed on an individual learning programme to suit her needs, where she gained encouragement and support to gain qualifications. Shannon made excellent progress and is now thinking about her work options and next steps.

Shannon comments: “Work experience is so important to my future career – it will help me see what working life is really like. I’m keen to find a placement in an office doing administration work and I’ve even been thinking about ways to achieve my original dream of working in a law environment. With the right employer to give me a chance, I’m willing to give the placement one hundred percent.”

Nella Stokes, Vice Principal at City of Bristol College, said: “Current unemployment rates among young people are worryingly high, so we are seeking to reduce the figures on a local level through this campaign.

“By matching young people with local businesses, we are helping young people to gain vital skills and experience that could set them up for the future. Employers will also benefit from this initiative by gaining a fresh perspective. The young people taking part are committed to improving their prospects and fully understand the importance that employers place on skills such as reliability, respect and punctuality.”

Cllr Barbara Janke, Leader of Bristol City Council, commented: “Work experience can help young people develop skills and take the first step towards full time employment.

“This is just one of a number of initiatives being introduced as part of the Bristol Partnership's 'Backing Young Bristol' campaign to ensure that we see the best possible outcomes for young people in Bristol by offering the right support at the start of their working lives.”

In addition to matching young people with employers for work experience, the ‘Backing Young Bristol’ campaign is aiming to help young people into work by:

• Increasing the number of new apprentices this year in the Bristol area to at least 2,000, and setting up a network of "apprenticeship champions" across the city to encourage employers to take on a young person
• Improving support and guidance to young people in particular areas of the city with high youth unemployment
• Encouraging the recruitment of local graduates

To get involved with the ‘Backing Young Bristol’ campaign visit www.bristolpartnership.org where you can find links to information, advice and opportunities for young people and employers.

The College also runs courses to help you get back into work. Contact 0117 312 2088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.