Vibe Youth Hub sees its grand launch at Forster College

A fantastic new youth hub has launched, transforming the lives of young people all over the Bradford district.

Bradford Vibe is a community initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions, hosted by Bradford College and supported by a wide variety of services all under one roof. It supports 18-25 year-olds who have multiple barriers to gaining employment and are receiving benefits.

The atmosphere was definitely vibrant as people young and old arrived to celebrate the new hub at Forster College. The college is part of the Bradford College family and is providing the physical and online spaces to host the hub.

Duncan Burnett, Head of Curriculum for Community and Distance Learning, said:

“Vibe is an amazing initiative for young people who need that helping hand on the next part of their journey. We’re all here to transform lives.

“We want service users to have the best opportunities and Vibe is going to have a massive impact on a lot of young people’s lives.”

Cutting the ribbon to officially launch the hub were Katie, Bradley and Georgia, three of the first young people to have completed the Kickstart scheme and secured jobs as a result. Kickstart is a government scheme, funding employers to create jobs for 16 to 24-year olds who are at risk of longer-term unemployment. People are placed on six-month contracts with employers to develop the skills they need.

Georgia is now looking forward to starting her job in HR. She said: “Whatever happens now, we’ve always got that experience on our CV. When I first came here I didn’t know what I wanted to do. We’ve been developing interview skills and talking about what we want to do in future.”

Bradley, who has secured a landscaping role, said: “It was very different to being at high school. We were in the real world, practising for interviews, sorting our CVs and getting help with applying for jobs online.”

Katie is set to work in a care home. She explained: “I always wanted to work with elderly people and people who have special needs.”

Vibe will support more people like Katie, Bradley and Georgia to succeed. It is a ‘one-stop shop’ where organisations from across the district offer services to young people all under one roof. The services range from employment support, training opportunities and money advice, delivered in a safe virtual setting. It also supports the homeless, asylum seekers and those with special needs.

As well as Kickstart, other organisations showcasing their services at the event included SkillsHouse Bradford, InCommunities, Aspire 2 Work, Bradford Night Stop, Stronger Families, Specialist Autism Services, Bradford Night Stop and many more.

Duncan added: “It’s all about transforming lives and that’s what we’re here to do. The Vibe is here to remove barriers to work. We’re at the beginning of an exciting journey and there is more yet to come!”

Asa Gordon, Vice Principal at Bradford College, said: “Bradford College is committed to the work of the Vibe and working with partners from across the City to support young people into training and employment.  It’s great to see organisations working together and have had the opportunity to speak to three young people who have already been supported by the partnership who I am sure will continue to progress in their careers.”

The Vibe is hosting a huge range of events and opportunities to improve skills and break down barriers to work. To discover more, visit https://www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/bradford-vibe/