'Game changing' youth engagement project launched in Cornwall

A new initiative that hopes to help young people across Cornwall get into work has been launched.

The Yep! project is helping provide education and training opportunities to disadvantaged 16-24 year olds across the Duchy.

It includes children with special educational needs and disabilities, those with mental health issues, and children not attending mainstream settings.

11 organisations from across the Duchy and the wider region are working together on the project.

The CSW Group is one of those organisations involved.

It's Managing Director, Chris Saxby, told Pirate FM that the project is a "game changer."

"What the scale has allowed us to do is put together a partnership of 10 other organisations which are integrating together to ensure that we're able to provide the support that we know is needed,"

Mr Saxby says the project is aiming to support 1000 young people, and has already 188.

"It's really started brilliantly, and it's got some massive momentum."

The project is the first nationwide to be funded the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

It was launched to replace the European Union's equivalent community funding scheme following the UK's withdrawal in 2020.

Mr Saxby said whilst this enabled greater collaboration between the different partners, it's impact is not "necessarily helpful."

"The level of funding that's been made available in the South West is lower than that that was previously," he said.

"It just takes up through to March 2025, but what happens after that."

He hoped this new project would be a starting point for future projects.

"Hopefully the remainder of our society draws that level of need down, but there will always be a need, so sustaining it thereafter in whatever form is going to be important."

"But we'll learn a lot here in Cornwall about to deliver this and deliver the bets value for the public purse."