Leicester MP meets National Careers Service Customers at Futures

Liz Kendall, MP for Leicester West paid a visit to Future’s Leicester centre last week to meet with a handful of customers that Futures have helped and are working with this year.

Liz spent some time in a small workshop group with 3 customers, learning about the barriers they have faced and their experience with Futures. Harriet, a young woman on the Youth Obligations Programme revealed that just last week she had just secured a permanent job with support from her Futures Adviser, Rina.

In Leicester, Futures provides careers advice in partnership with other local skills providers and voluntary and public sector partners. We deliver free services including Adult Education Budget activity, Sector Based Work Academies, and apprenticeships, in partnership with employers including Premier Inn and Leicester City Council.

Since October 2018, Futures has seen over a thousand National Careers Service customers in Leicester, over 300 of whom obtained a job or learning outcome – a higher proportion than for the East Midlands as a whole. The number of National Careers Service customers represents about a third of the total unemployed population of Leicester West, which for the January to December 2018 period was estimated at 3,300, showing how important the service is in providing careers advice to a significant proportion of the unemployed in this constituency. Liz said, “I don’t see Futures as just careers, it’s about opening people’s eyes and mind to the possibilites out there.”

“Unemployment is relatively high in Leicester compared with the rest of the East Midlands, which makes the work we do even more vital. Since late 2018 Futures has helped over 300 people obtain a job or learning outcome – a higher proportion than for the East Midlands as a whole. We are beginning to make a difference, but there’s still a way to go. Support from politicians like Liz Kendall not only shows the people of Leicester that their future is valued, but it sign posts Futures as the place to go for any support they made need in careers and education.” Paul Price-Hazlehurst, Director of Programmes, Futures for You