The department would like to say a huge thank you to each and every employer and individual who has been involved with the campaign in one way or another.

As of today, it is over to you. The department will not be joining in the ongoing debate around youth unemployment during the pre-election period. But you can still continue the work that has been started!

What does this mean for the campaign?

• This website will remain live, but there will be no news stories or updates. You can still find out to get help and support from our partners here.

• The Twitter feed will also remain live but will not be tweeting for the foreseeable future. You can still discuss the campaign and its messages online by using the hash tag #backingyb

• The official Facebook fan page will remain live, but there will be no new posts

• The You Tube channel will continue to stream the campaign’s event footage and provide a round-up of our activity over the last nine months

• If you have already endorsed the campaign, you will still receive the help that you have requested during the pre-election period.

So, please keep the conversation going and continue to provide those all important work opportunities to Britain’s young people. They still need you.

Thank you.

During February and March, employers from all across the country were invited to see how they could tackle the issues of youth unemployment in their region through offering an Apprenticeship, a job or experience of work.

Tim Campbell, the first ever winner The Apprentice and now CEO of the charity Bright Ideas Trust, which helps young people in London who aren’t in employment, education or training, hosted the events that saw over 600 employers join in debate on youth unemployment.

MP’s such as Jim Knight also addressed attendees at the events, alongside a panel of businesses experts who highlighted how businesses could make the most of the help that is already available to them to provide real opportunities to young people.

As well as finding out about the financial support available to businesses if they took on a young person, employers also got the chance to network with each other as they shared their own experiences on how young employees added extra value to their organisations.

Young people themselves were invited to come to a series of special Backing Young Britain careers fairs after each breakfast event where local employers and training providers were on hand to give advice on how they could more easily land that all important first job or get in to some extremely beneficial on the job training and experience.

After constant campaigning to spread the word of Backing Young Britain, on 17th March 2010 at our final event in London, hair extension experts Weave got Style were announced as our 1000th endorser and our biggest milestone to date was reached. Since then, support for the campaign has been flooding in and we’d like to thank everyone who came along to the events and showed their support for Young Britain.

Re-live the highlights of the campaign through this exclusive Backing Young Britain video.

The campaign’s 1,000th endorser is Weave Got Style a chain of specialist hair extension salons based in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent and Lakeside Shopping centre, Thurrock. The salons are keen to get fresh talent through their doors and help them to develop alongside their business.

In the last few months we’ve seen the number of organisations supporting the campaign grow significantly and rapidly and that means the volume of opportunities being created for young people in the workplace has also grown.

Backing Young Britain is delighted to have hit this milestone and would like to thank everyone who has endorsed the campaign so far. We hope that you continue to spread the word to your peers so that even more organisations can help young people use their talents to reach their full potential.

As one of the categories for the awards, the Youth Employment Award will be given to employers who have used inititatives to engage and encourage young people into work, such as offering Apprenticeships, experiences of work or a job.

Employers who enter that category will need to show how they have promoted the jobs and opportunitites within their organisation to young people.

As well as showcasing details of how successful their work with young people has been, employers will be asked to provide a specific example of this, such as a case study of a young person who has benefitted from working in their organisation.

The Jobcentre Plus 2010 Awards gives employers the chance to shout about the achievements of their business, people, and partners.

Many organisations have enjoyed a successful working relationship with Jobcentre Plus, either by becoming a LEP employer, benefiting from the recruitment subsidy, signing up to a work trial or simply by saving on the costs of recruitment.

These awards are a real opportunity to tell everyone in your region about your business success and how Jobcentre Plus can help organisations like yours.

Entries are being accepted until 31st March 2010, so make sure you enter your organisation soon!

For more information on how to enter and dates for the awards ceremonies, visit the Jobcentre Plus site.

Member of Parliament for Hull and West Hessle Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, along with Gaynor Barnes from ITV Yorkshire’s Calendar News will be speaking at the free event at the Royal Hotel in Hull.

The breakfast meeting is free to attend and will be a great opportunity for local employers to get together and network with their peers and hear from a range of business leaders about the benefits of Backing Young Britain – both for the young people and for the businesses themselves.

Businesses can find out about the support and funding available to help them Back Young Britain and provide opportunities to young people whether that be through offering an Apprenticeship, a job or experience of work.

Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP will be addressing attendees at the event, alongside a panel of experts who will highlight how businesses can make the most of the help that is already available to them to provide real opportunities to young people.

Event registration is from 10:15am for 30 minutes and the event runs from 10:45 – 11:30am, plus networking time. You can either register now for your place at the event and submit your questions to the panel, or if you’re in the area, feel free to just drop in!

Tim, who won the first series of The Apprentice has since founded Bright Ideas Trust, a charity that is passionate about helping young people in London who aren’t in employment, education or training. Tim is ready and eager to start the conversation on this topic with employers in Wales.

The Employers Breakfast will start at 7.45 at Cineworld in Cardiff and finish at 9am. There will also be time to network, share stories and find out about the support and funding available to help Back Young Britain through offering a young person an Apprenticeship, a job or experience of work.

This breakfast meeting is free to attend and will bring together a range of business leaders and industry experts, as well as further contributions from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Wayne David on how Backing Young Britain can really benefit both the organisation and the young person.

You can either register now for your place at the event and submit your questions to the panel, or if you’re in the area, feel free to just drop in!

The breakfast event will then be followed by a careers fair for young people at the same venue. So if you’re looking for your first break make sure you come along.

Tom, 24, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, was looking for a career that would help him fulfil his potential and develop his skills and joined eaga as an Apprentice in September.

“My Apprenticeship so far has been brilliant. I am working with my mentor and everyday brings different jobs and challenges. I enjoy working with our customers and I have also started college. Having a structured apprenticeship is great.” said Tom.

Keith Richardson, People Development Director, explains: “eaga recognise that young people bring a positive energy and commitment to the workplace, but can find it difficult to shine in recruitment processes because they have had less exposure to the workplace and things like company values or appropriate interview etiquette. That is why we actively seek to recruit young people through community engagement, work experience and Jobcentre Plus.

He continued: “It is wonderful to have such enthusiastic, ambitious young people at eaga and the likes of Tom will secure the long-term future for the company. The scheme works really well and Apprenticeships allow us to attract the best talent and shape young people’s organisational values, creating future leaders who understand all aspects of the business and loyalty from employers.”

This breakfast meeting is free to attend and will bring together a range of business leaders and industry experts. Facilitated by Tim Campbell, further valuable contributions will come from a range of speakers including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ann McKechin

This event will provide Scottish employers with the opportunity to network with peers, share stories and find out about the support and funding available to help them Back Young Britain and provide opportunities to young people, whether that be through offering an Apprenticeship, a job or experience of work.

The Backing Young Britain employer’s breakfast will start at 7.45am and finish at 9am with additional networking time. So if you are in the area please make sure you join us there and find out how you can play your part in helping young people get their first break.

Register now for a free place at the Backing Young Britain Employer Breakfast and submit your question to the panel. Alternatively, feel free to just turn up on the day!

The breakfast event will then be followed by a careers fair for young people at the same venue from 10am until 2pm. If you are a young person looking for help and advice on getting a job or work experience register here now.

The Apprentice star and successful entrepreneur will be hosting a special Backing Young Britain Employer’s Breakfast in Birmingham on Monday 22nd February 2010. Tim, now Founder and CEO of Bright Ideas Trust, a charity that helps London’s young people who aren’t in employment, education or training, feels very passionate about this topic and is eager to start the conversation with employers in Birmingham.

The breakfast meeting is free to attend and will be a great opportunity to get together with local employers and network with a range of business leaders and industry experts.

Regional Minister Ian Austin will also be there to help local young people who really need that first break.

The breakfast meeting is free to attend and will be a great opportunity for local employers to get together and network with their peers and hear from a range of business leaders about the benefits of Backing Young Britain – both for the young people and for the businesses themselves.

Regional Minister Ian Austin MP will also be addressing attendees at the event, alongside a panel of experts who will highlight how businesses can make the most of the help that is already available to them to provide real opportunities to young people.

You can either register now for your place at the event and submit your questions to the panel, or if you’re in the area, feel free to just drop in!
The breakfast event will then be followed by a careers fair for young people at the Bullring Shopping Centre from 10am until 2pm. So if you’re a young person looking for advice on how to land your first job or get into training, make sure you come along.

Minster for Employment Jim Knight, along with Apprentice winner and successful entrepreneur, Tim Campbell will be speaking at the free event at Newcastle Football Club.

This event will provide the region’s employers with information and advice on how they can provide opportunities to young people in the region through offering them an Apprenticeship, a job or experience of work.

The breakfast will also be a great chance for North East businesses to network with local peers, share stories and find out about the funding and support that’s already available to help put Backing Young Britain into practice.

If you are from an organisation based in the North East, find out more and register now for your free place at the event. Plus you can submit any questions you may have to the event’s panel of experts. Alternatively feel free to just turn up on the day.

The Backing Young Britain Employer’s Breakfast will start at 7.45am in the St James Park Moncur Suite, and finish at 9am, plus valuable networking time.

If you are a young person looking for help or advice on how to get into work or on the job training, there will be a Backing Young Britain Careers Fair taking place on the same day and venue from 10am-2pm. Register for a free place now.