Prime Highlights
- National Grid launches £5 million Power Within Employability Fund to help 5,000 young people not in education, employment or training find work.
- Fund backs Prime Minister’s reforms placing technical education on equal footing with academic study, supporting the UK’s reindustrialisation drive.
Key Facts
- Fund to support up to 1,000 young people annually with training, qualifications and mentoring.
- Programme delivers Construction Skills Certification Scheme cards, coaching and direct employer links across National Grid’s supplier network.
Background
National Grid has committed £5 million to help 5,000 young people not in employment, education or training find work over the next five years. The new Power Within Employability Fund will support up to 1,000 young people annually across the UK, helping them build skills, qualifications and confidence needed for long-term careers, including in energy and infrastructure sectors.
The announcement follows the Prime Minister’s reforms to place technical education on equal footing with academic study, giving every young person a clear route into skilled work.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed National Grid’s move, saying it matches employers with young people and reflects the government’s determination to tackle youth unemployment.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh pointed to rising demand for skilled workers in clean energy, driven by more than £100 billion in private investment, and said the sector is set to create 400,000 additional clean energy jobs by the end of the decade.
National Grid Chief Executive Zoë Yujnovich said the fund aims to help young people develop skills, qualifications and confidence to build long-term careers, working alongside delivery partners, colleges and employers to open pathways into rewarding jobs.
The programme will offer practical training, industry-recognised qualifications including Construction Skills Certification Scheme cards, employability coaching, job readiness support and direct links to employers across National Grid’s supplier network.
The fund forms part of National Grid’s wider commitment to building the skilled workforce needed for the UK’s energy and infrastructure projects, backing government plans to reindustrialise the country.
