University and police partner to tackle region 's unemployment

Birmingham City University and the West Midlands Police (WMP) are working together to deliver a government-backed initiative tackling rising unemployment amongst young people.

The university is working in partnership with the region 's police force on the government 's Kickstart Scheme, which aims to reduce the number of unemployed 18-24-year-olds across the country.

The project has already included Birmingham City University work with WMP to provide opportunities enabling dozens of graduates to take on positions within the police across 24 different areas of work.

As a result of the partnership, 21 graduates from the region have successfully secured roles to kick-start their careers with one of the region 's biggest organisations.

Birmingham City University 's involvement as a Gateway Provider for the government 's Kickstart Scheme stems from a pioneering partnership it developed with Aston University, DWP Jobcentre Plus Birmingham and Solihull District called Graduate Re-Tune, which was established to help local unemployed and underemployed graduates into graduate level roles.

Professor Julian Beer (pictured), deputy vice-chancellor at Birmingham City University, said: “As the University for Birmingham, playing a key role in providing work-ready graduates and supporting the local community is a central part of our mission.

"We 're therefore pleased to be partnering with West Midlands Police to give local graduates the opportunity to join a prestigious employer and begin their careers in a variety of roles. ”

Paul Sumner, Head of Resourcing and Recruitment at West Midlands Police, said: “The Kickstart Scheme has offered a new and exciting way to recruit people into a range of roles across our organisation, bringing in a wealth of talent and opportunity. We look forward to playing a key part in the scheme 's delivery moving forward. ”

Further information on the government 's Kickstart Scheme is available online.