West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner announces partnership with Talent Match Black Country - Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council

by James Clarke
4 years ago
1554 Views

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has just announced that he is working with Talent Match Black Country (TMBC) to expand the project’s work with young offenders.  TMBC is a mentoring project working with young offenders, and others, to help ensure that more young people in the Black Country will be supported to reach their full potential.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said: “This is an exciting new partnership and one which I hope will lead to fewer young people offending and more finding secure employment.

“Nationally crime is rising and here in the West Midlands we are working hard to tackle the root causes. Talent Match Black Country will help us to reach out to young people and ensure they make the right choices and have proper opportunities to succeed.”

Talent Match is a five-year-long, £108 million programme, funded from The National Lottery Community Fund, with additional funds from the European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative and working in 21 Local Enterprise Partnership areas in England which experience high levels of youth unemployment. It’s one of only three in the Country that the Lottery have funded for a further 3 years.  The aim over the next three years is to embed TMBC as a long-term way of working with young offenders.

TMBC is a voluntary programme and Kim Babb Project Manager says: “This great new partnership with the PCC will allow us to work with more young people and to embed the programme as an important way of helping them to move away from crime.  We have found over the past 5 years that when young people with offending backgrounds decide that they want to move on with their lives they can be very motivated and extremely able.  Our job is to work alongside them and help to remove the barriers that they face to achieving their goals”.

Young people are at the very heart of the Talent Match Project and one of those, Omari Thomas, an early beneficiary of Talent Match Black Country adds: “Talent Match has helped me gain the confidence to do what I’m doing now. My Mentor helped me to create a step-by-step path towards my goals, they gave me guidance and supported me to access opportunities within the project. The continued assistance for me generated confidence and determination to join the working world. I am now working at being a social entrepreneur and creating multiple income streams. I have recently opened a tea room and a catering company, I am also focusing on my public speaking.”

To find out more about Talent Match Black Country please contact 01902 328973.

To make a referral, including self-referrals, please go to our website bctalentmatch.com or email us at info@bctalentmatch.com or ring 01902 328973.