A £50m project aimed at getting young people in Birmingham and Solihull into work has been approved by the city council’s cabinet.

The Youth Promise Plus will help 16,500 young people between the ages of 16 – 29 get into work or training over the next three years.

It will be funded through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with £33.6m from the European Social Fund, and the rest from a package of Birmingham City Council and other local matched expenditure.

Cllr Penny Holbrook, cabinet member for skills, learning and culture, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted that Birmingham has secured this funding; it shows the great partnership working we have in place with the DWP and everyone’s commitment to ensuring we tackle youth unemployment.

‘The only way we can solve this problem and ensure the young people of Birmingham benefit from the growing economy is by working together as partners and a whole city.’