WITH increasing concern surrounding job opportunities for young people in Bordon and Whitehill, a scheme to tackle the problem was rubber stamped by East Hampshire District Council this week. At Tuesday's community forum, councillors approved the formation of a project which will invite several key players to the table to discuss an issue that is only likely to increase in significance. A working group - consisting of local employers, Connexions advice service for teenagers, the Bordon Youth Forum and Mill Chase Technology School - will meet regularly to encourage young people in the area to pursue their chosen careers. It is hoped that the group will increase young people's access to the number and type of jobs, while encouraging them to live and work in the area. The group will meet regularly to monitor progress, using a database of employers which offer training, apprenticeship or employment opportunities to the young. The initiative gathered momentum after a meeting of the Bordon Youth Forum (BYF) in January, which raised concerns about the dearth of employment and apprenticeship opportunities in the area. Community project worker Liz Panton heralded the introduction of the group. She said: "What is really important is that this came from the youngsters themselves. "At the BYF, some students raised this problem - the lack of job opportunities in the area, both for over and under 16s. "What we have come to is the situation whereby, unless the young have an employer that will take them on as a trainee plumber for example, colleges will not take them on their courses. The situation is the same all over the country. "However in Bordon and Whitehill it is a little bit different, because we only have small to medium businesses that do not have the capacity to take on young people. "And then with the transport issues, this makes it difficult for them to travel elsewhere without a job as they can't afford it; and if they do have a job, the lack of flexible transport is an enormous problem. It really is a vicious circle. "So, we've been trying to see what we can do about this, and my colleague Calie Sharman has set up a database of employers willing to take people on. "We are hoping to meet the youth forum and youngsters to identify further problems. "Basically, what we trying to do is break the mould and offer more opportunities in the Bordon and Whitehill area, because what we don't want to see is the loss of talented youngsters from the area." Councillor Zoya Faddy, who represents Whitehill Chase on the district council, commented: "The problem is that we do not have a variety of employers in the area. "Historically, we had a lot of housing put in Bordon in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. "The town has doubled in size with lots of family housing and, as a result, we have a large proportion of the population that is under 18. "We have a very young, talented and energetic population, but we do not have the infrastructure to match. "This is why we campaigned so hard to bring Tesco to Bordon, and this has provided 200 jobs for the young. However, we need more big employers like Tesco and also smaller employers to support our young population." And Mrs Faddy also pointed to a similar situation regarding educational facilities in the area. She said: "We are in the middle of a sort of desert for further educational opportunities, and the lack of a proper public transport system is detrimental to the local population. "The two problems go hand in hand, because employers tell me that they are prepared to take on young people, but the young people need to get there, which involves a real cost in travel. "Similarly, if the young want to take up the opportunity of further education, then they must travel elsewhere - to Alton, Farnborough, Havant or Godalming." Adam Carew, county and district councillor for Whitehill and Bordon, also praised the scheme and called for a drastic reappraisal of the "appalling" public transport system. "The unemployment for young people in the area is clearly a serious issue and it is one that needs to be addressed," he remarked. He added that half of young people travelled to work outside the area. He continued: "Jobs within the Bordon area for young people are limited, and I think it is very important that we identify the problems. "Hopefully, we can then go on and develop the situation for young people with regards to employment. "It is not easy for young people to get in and around the Bordon area, to get to either employment or educational facilities, as the public transport system is appalling."
