London Based LSC / ESF Project Praised by London Euro MP

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The London-based Crossing Boundaries project was visited recently by Robert Evans, Member of the European Parliament for London.

The project, which is funded through the European Social Fund (ESF) and Learning Skills Council (LSC) and led by Connexions South London, helps disadvantaged learners, particularly those from ethnic minorities, to find work.

The Project

The project offers a wide range of intensive support to young people looking for work, including help with CV writing, job-hunting and confidence building. To date, Crossing Boundaries has helped more than 170 young people to gain access to information, advice and careers guidance.

The project has proven successful in recent months. Last year, 135 went on to further learning, training or education. The project is a pilot, currently being tested in six London boroughs, to be extended to the rest of the region if successful.

European Funding Having a Positive Impact

Visiting the organisation’s Ealing office, the MEP congratulated them on their success. “It is great to see that European funding is having such a positive impact on the lives of young people in London,” he said, “Crossing Boundaries certainly seems to be making a real difference to the young learners I met in Ealing today.”

Mr Evans stressed the importance of projects such as this in helping young people, who would otherwise not have access to career-development opportunities. “These youngsters ““ many from disadvantaged backgrounds ““ run up against so many barriers when seeking education and employment,” he said, “[and] projects such as this are crucial to ensure they do not fall into long-term unemployment.”

The Minister also had a chance to meet some of the young people who had benefited from the project. John from Ealing was helped back onto his college course, after an intervention from a Crossing Boundaries broker persuaded the college to overturn his exclusion. Brokers are often used by the project in order to ensure that young people who are at risk of drifting out of education can be helped back into training before the situation becomes too serious.

Jess Brammar

Tell us about ESF outside London right here in the FE Blog

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