YOUNG people in Ryedale are set to benefit from a partnership involving Ryedale District Council to boost employment opportunities.

Working with North Yorkshire Business Enterprise Partnership (NYBEP) over the next two years, the district council will be supporting youngsters to explore careers relevant to the local economy, develop key employability skills as well as helping employers to get involved in the development of their future workforce.

Projects include:

• Building on existing networks and activities in the area including employer-school links and key events such as Opportunity Knocks.

• Responding to known school needs in relation to employability and careers provision.

• Improving the promotion and understanding of apprenticeship opportunities.

Councillor Linda Cowling, leader of Ryedale District Council, said: “To improve Employer Brokerage & Co-ordination we are building a local database of employers listing those businesses willing to engage with schools who will request employer links via NYBEP for a wide range of needs such as work experience placements, apprenticeship opportunities, visits to business and presentations at the schools."

Mollie Dodd, General Manager for Nunnington Hall and Rievaulx Terrace, one of the organisations taking park said: “We are really pleased to be part of the Ryedale Employability Partnership as we’re keen to support our local community and develop our work with local partners."

“The children taking part in the mock interviews seemed really engaged and hopefully benefited from the experience and practice of an interview scenario."

She added: We all enjoyed meeting the various students and benefited from seeing how one of our local schools operates in more detail and making contacts for the future. We look forward to being involved in more events and working as an active partner in the Ryedale community.”

Last month all four secondary schools in Ryedale came to the council's head office in Malton to take part in a Careers Practitioner Professional Development day.

Louise Lunn, Business Liaison Manager, for Ryedale District Council, said: "Those attending from all four Ryedale schools engaged in professional development around the importance of partnership working and making employability a whole school issue. The day was very well received by the schools.”