E3: Employment, Education and Enterprise In Northampton

Case Study

02 November 2011

This ESF Works Case Study reports on a project which seeks to increase the employability of young people not in employment, education or training.

Using social enterprise as a route to improving skills and employability for young people, graduates and those made redundant in Northamptonshire, and as part of the ESF ITM programme, Social Enterprise East Midlands (SEEM) lead a partnership of organisations utilising social enterprise as a pathway to tackling some of the employment and skills challenges in Northamptonshire. Key target groups for the project are young  people not in education, employment or training (NEET), recent graduates, and people over the age of 35 who are facing or have experienced redundancy resulting from the effects of the economic downturn.

The Case Study notes that innovative elements of the programme include setting up a social enterprise recruitment agency at the University of Northampton, and using social media to recruit participants.