A MUSSELBURGH-BASED charity which works with young people has welcomed a cash boost of nearly £89,000 to continue its key employability service in East Lothian.

The Bridges Project on Bogpark Road has received the money from East Lothian Council’s One Council Partnership Fund to extend Way2Work East Lothian for another year.

The initiative is the independent charity’s main employability service, which provides support to help young people make the transition into jobs, training and further education.

The award of £88,850 will contribute to three different strands of Way2Work East Lothian.

The first will be a school employability programme that will support up to 60 young people across the county annually to sustain S4 in high school and progress into careers or further education.

Another will provide educational and wellbeing support to young people aged 15 to 21 across East Lothian.

As well as this, the One Council Partnership Fund will contribute to providing support packages to young people who are either unemployed or at risk of leaving school without a plan for the future.

Emma Scarcliffe, Bridges Project’s CEO, said: “Receiving this funding is tremendous news and we look forward to continuing our services to support young people in East Lothian to achieve success.

“We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to East Lothian Council’s One Council Partnership Fund from Bridges Project’s staff, board of trustees and, of course, the amazing young people who we will continue inspiring to build a confident future.”

Sharon Saunders, head of communities at East Lothian Council, said: “The Bridges Project provides a highly valued service to help find the right training and employment for some of our young people. As we’re planning for Covid recovery, this specialist support is even more important to help make the most of the opportunities available during what is a particularly tough time.”

Way2Work East Lothian is complemented by a range of other services at Bridges Project. Young people using the service are also given opportunities to access accredited group learning, social groups, confidence building courses, independent living support, and emotional and wellbeing support.

The Way2Work East Lothian service will additionally focus on helping young people deal with the consequences of the pandemic.

For instance, the school employability programme will prepare young people for the world of work in a post-Covid-19 society. This will include mentoring in skills required for the blended approach of remote and in-office working that is expected to continue in many industries. It will also offer sessions for young people with limited digital access and skills to get digitally connected.

The educational and wellbeing support strand is another aspect of Way2Work East Lothian that will focus on recovery from the pandemic. It will support young people with Covid-19-related mental health and wellbeing issues, including help to access welfare advice services to support independent living including foodbanks and other initiatives for those who are struggling financially as a result of the pandemic.