Dozens of young people are embarking on their journey into the world of work through an employment support programme at Newcastle United Foundation addressing transport poverty.

Teenagers and young adults from across the North East are given one-to-one support as part of the Foundation's NU Futures programmes to develop their confidence, personal skills, and ability to successfully secure employment, training, and volunteering roles across a range of sectors.

And to ensure all young people can seize opportunities to achieve their potential - no matter their income status, location, or limited access to transport - the charity has partnered with Stagecoach North East to provide free travel passes for NU Futures participants.

By waiving travel costs across Stagecoach services, some of the North East's most disadvantaged teenagers and young adults can meet, attend targeted employer events, personal development workshops, job search, and CV writing classes hosted by the Foundation at St. James' Park and various employer bases across the region.

Stagecoach North East Managing Director, Steve Walker, recently joined one of Newcastle United Foundation's mock interview events, preparing young adults aged 18 to 29 with the knowledge and confidence to attend job interviews in the future.

He said: "We are delighted to work with the Foundation and the excellent work they do in supporting young people to gain valuable work-ready experience.

"People's backgrounds should never be a barrier to achieving their full potential, which is why we are pleased to offer any support we possibly can. It was clear when assisting with the interviews there was a lot of potential in the room if the young adults could just be given that chance."

Stagecoach North East were among a number of regional employers hosting mock interviews at St. James' Park with Newcastle United Foundation staff for young people being supported through NU Futures and the charity's Prince's Trust TEAM programme.

In one-to-one job interview scenarios, young candidates were asked about the individual skills they could bring to a workplace, what they hope to achieve in the future and any personal successes to date.

Each candidate then benefits from instant feedback from mock interviewers, assessing aspects of the interview such as the appropriateness of answers, positive body language and eye contact, and how participants managed the scenario.

Dawn Barber, Business Network Manager at Newcastle United Foundation, said: "Young people across our programmes often face a number of barriers preventing them from accessing opportunities in education, training, or employment and one of those obstacles can be transport poverty.

"For any number of reasons, teenagers and young adults may not have the means to use public transport, own a car or live in a household close to essential services. Without the ability to travel, many young people miss out on job interviews, work experience or personal development workshops that could lead to lifechanging opportunities."

She added: "It's also fantastic to introduce Steve to our young participants - the mock interview sessions provide a meaningful learning experience and Stagecoach are really helping us to create a positive path to help young adults into work."

Schools, employers and training partners across the region are invited to get involved with the NU Futures programme to expand opportunities for young people in the North East. For more information, email gavin.ferry@nufc.co.uk

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