New initiaties launched.

Young people in Devon are to receive help from Devon County Council to get into work.

The council has unveiled a number of initiatives aimed at reducing youth unemployment and is investing �150,000 into projects.

The schemes range from helping small businesses take on apprentices, creating high quality work placements, acting as a ‘business angel’ to young people with marketable ideas and improving careers guidance and links with employers for students in secondary schools.

Devon’s cabinet member for economy, enterprise and employment Will Mumford, said: “Devon County Council is determined to do all it can to sustain and improve the economy of the county.

“So we are promoting major job-creating projects like Exeter Science Park, the South Devon Link Road and superfast broadband.

“However, youth unemployment is a particular problem in Devon as it is nationally.

“These projects range from the small-scale to the countywide and I believe they will all help our young people to gain experience of employment and help make them more attractive to employers.”

Devon is working with the Devon Education Business Partnership to develop high quality work placements in key sectors of the economy and to help employers select suitable students.

Up until June, students will receive business mentoring for inventions they have come up with as a result of the Big Bang South West competition.

And five individual or group inventors will be eligible for a ‘business angel’ bursary of �250 each.

The county is working with Bicton College on a scheme designed to develop incentives for employers to take on an apprentice.

This will include subsidising wages for a work trial, developing appropriate training for the apprentice and the supervisor and enabling apprenticeships to be shared amongst a number of employers.