Levelling Up Harlow – New collaborative programme to inspire young people in Harlow announced

Harlow Futures project will help youngsters to develop the skills and qualifications they need to successfully move into employment.

A NEW educational scheme looking to inspire young people in Harlow to be ambitious about their futures has been announced by Essex County Council (ECC).

Working with partners like schools, Harlow District Council and Harlow College, the Harlow Futures scheme will bring employers in the town together with young people so they can learn about the opportunities available to them and how to best develop and utilise their skills in the world of work.

Starting from Early Years, Harlow Futures will support children to develop their creativity, promote innovation, and skills like teamwork and problem-solving.

Individual mentoring, experience with employers, curriculum enrichment, expert advice and guidance and professional development of teaching staff all form part of the programme.

The scheme will be targeting young people who are most in need, with Harlow identified as a priority area as part of the County Council’s Levelling Up programme.

There are around 3,300 children in Harlow on free school meals and around 2,200 with a special educational need or disability – two key groups being prioritised in the council’s recent Levelling Up white paper.

Harlow Futures will also compliment the Essex Year of Reading project, which has been created to ensure that every Essex child is able to read at their age level or better.

The project has been designed to encourage all age groups to development a love of reading and will feature a host of events, activities and resources after its launch on Wednesday 23rd February.

The Essex Year of Reading will see special author events and focused training for teachers in Harlow and coincides with a major refurbishment of Harlow Library, which is set to be complete this spring.

Cllr Tony Ball, ECC Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “Our Levelling Up strategy focuses improving educational attainment and access to good quality and relevant skills. This is a whole life approach, encompassing early years, school years, higher and further education, and then lifelong learning.

“The Harlow Futures project will help improve the opportunities available to young people in Harlow by helping give them the confidence to be ambitious and reach for the stars. It will help young people access the good quality and skilled jobs already here and that will be coming to Harlow in the future. This is a long-term programme and we know things won’t change overnight, but we are determined to make a long-lasting difference.”

The collaborative Harlow Futures programme will see ECC work with schools, Harlow College, Harlow District Council, employers, community organisations and a range of other partners.

The projects are set to go live after Easter at the start of the summer term with further launches in the autumn term.