By New report calls to improve unemployment in South Yorkshire
The South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) has highlighted four key priorities, including unemployment, that require improvement in the region.
SYCF is a foundation that aims to improve South Yorkshire’s communities through aiding people facing hardships in life.
Their Vital Signs report has revealed official research data which highlights how crime and safety, disadvantage and inequality, work and the local economy and mental health all need to be prioritised in South Yorkshire.
Data gathered from the research supports evidence-based solutions specifically tailored to suit locals’ needs.
Areas for improvement which require urgent investment from authorities have been identified in the report.
SYCF are launching a themed programme to tackle these issues directly.
The Employment and Employability Programme will be supporting people aged 14-30 regarding their employability skills and learning opportunities.
The employment rate currently stands 5 percent lower in South Yorkshire than the rest of England.
Ruth Willis, Chief Executive of SYCF, said: “We want to respond to the crisis of the pandemic and support our communities as urgently as we can.
“The effects of the Covid pandemic have exacerbated many existing societal problems yet young people have been disproportionately affected and their success in securing employment or training has such a consequence on all the issues identified in the research.
“Our ambition is to distribute £500,000 across South Yorkshire to community organisations working with young people to boost their skills and job prospects.”
Mental health has also been listed as a top priority in the report with 60 percent of people claiming to struggle with mental health.
40 percent of these individuals believe that there is a lack of professional care to support them.
On top of this, in their community survey, almost one third of South Yorkshire residents said they do not feel safe in their local area.
50 percent of residents indicated that there is not enough being done to deter criminals from committing crimes.
They revealed that South Yorkshire has 20 more crimes occurring per 1,000 people than the rest of England.
The four local authorities in South Yorkshire have also been ranked within the lowest 14 percent of all local authorities in England.
Chris Booth-Mayblin, Chair of SYCF, said: “The top four priorities for action demonstrate the interlinking nature of society’s biggest problems and how a coordinated effort from all stakeholders is needed to affect change.
“We are imploring stakeholders and policy-makers across South Yorkshire to not simply sit on the results of this research but act.
“We do not want to be reporting on the same issues in our next report.”
(Photo: South Yorkshire Community Foundation)
