£1m boost to tackle youth unemployment in the West Midlands

Young people with Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in Walsall will benefit from a £1m grant to help tackle youth unemployment in the region. 

A partnership of Walsall-based organisations, led by Aaina Community Hub, are the latest to join Youth Futures Foundation’s flagship place-based programme, Connected Futures, during a visit attended by the Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker.

Launched in 2022, the multi-million-pound fund seeks to change the journey from education to employment for young people through pioneering local partnerships. The programme aims to develop and test new approaches to breaking down systemic barriers and improving access to employment for young people from marginalised backgrounds. 

Youth Futures Foundation’s seven-figure investment follows a £100,000 grant into Aaina from the West Midlands Combined Authority, in support of the region’s Race Equalities Taskforce. The Taskforce and WMCA are looking to actively support this partnership between Aaina and Youth Futures Foundation, helping to connect young people from racialised communities to employment and training opportunities. 

Through the Connected Futures programme, Aaina hopes to increase Walsall’s employment rate for young people aged 16-24 with Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage, by increasing access to skills and training opportunities and creating an employer-led momentum for change.

The partnership follows the publication of a report in March 2024 by Youth Futures Foundation which revealed that half of young people (48%) from an ethnic minority background face discrimination in the workplace.  

Young people with Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage face some of the largest disparities in finding and retaining good jobs. The funding will help Aaina tackle the employment gap in the area by supporting young people to upskill and connect with jobs and training opportunities that they would otherwise be unable to access.  

By building relationships with employers, the partnership will broker direct engagement between young people and local firms, increasing access to opportunities and unleashing the potential of young people from ethnic minorities, who make up 25% of the UK’s future workforce. 

Aaina will work alongside Iqra Supplementary School, which provides activities for Pakistani and Bangladeshi young people aged 5 to 24 from low-income families in South and Central Walsall. 

Aaina was established in 1997 to support Asian women and their families and engages with 2,000 people every year. The hub specializes in delivering culturally sensitive training and wellbeing support for local communities.  

Commenting on the funding, Barry Fletcher, CEO at Youth Futures Foundation, said:  

“Aaina was set up to address the structural barriers faced by those from ethnic minority groups back in 1997. Sadly, thanks to research such as our Discrimination at Work report, it is evident that many of these barriers still exist.  

“We are excited to work with Aaina to enable it to continue to deliver for young people from ethnic minorities and transform their employment opportunities.” 

A’isha Khan, CEO at Aaina Community Hub, comments: 

“We are excited to be working with Youth Futures to deliver a groundbreaking project investigating systematic issues impacting Pakistani and Bangladeshi youth securing meaningful and progressive employment.  

“We will be challenging the status quo in local industry and will facilitate dialogue between stakeholders and young people to identify viable solutions that lead to lasting change in recruitment and progression within employment.” 

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Mayor, said:  

“Reducing youth unemployment in our region is one of my top priorities as Mayor and a key focus of my Youth Plan. I’m committed to ensuring every young person has the best possible start in life, no matter their background. It’s great to hear how the investment from the Youth Futures Foundation will help the Aaina Community Hub support young people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds in Walsall to achieve their full potential.” 

Sharonjit Clare, Independent Chair of the West Midlands Race Equalities Taskforce, comments: 

“The Race Equalities Taskforce was delighted to support Aaina in February this year, with a £100,000 grant to help extend their skills offer.  The intention behind this was also to learn more about how we can support hubs, like Aaina, to boost their reach, resilience and impact and secure further investment. 

“I am utterly thrilled that the Youth Futures Foundation have fulfilled our desire to attract further investment so quickly.  This is an exemplar of what we can achieve across this region.” 

Moshin Khan, Iqra Project Lead, comments: 

“Our hopes for this project are to create a clear pathway for young people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent to step confidently into employment, bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. 

“By addressing the challenges they face during recruitment and integration into the workplace we aim to build a system that empowers the individual ensuring that potential isn’t lost but nurtured, guided and given the space to thrive.”