Schools in South Tyneside in line for extra careers cash

Last year the Department for Education announced an overall allocation of £5m over two years to support the development of ‘careers hubs’.

The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) has led efforts to establish the hubs on behalf of the government to help improve careers provision across the UK.

In certain areas, schools and colleges will have access to a “virtual wallet” of up to £5,000 to help boost links between employers and learners.

South Tyneside Council’s Education and Skills Panel heard the ‘virtual wallet’ funding works as a voucher which can be used to spend on activities from employers/ providers the CEC have identified.

In South Tyneside, the following schools and colleges will be within the hubs and may be eligible for the cash.

They are

*Boldon School

*Epinay Business and Enterprise School in Jarrow

*Harton Academy

*Tyne Coast College

*St Joseph’s Catholic Academy

*St Wilfrids RC College (South Shields)

*Whitburn COE Academy

Other schools and colleges which may be eligible for the funding include Hebburn Comprehensive School, Mortimer Community College and Jarrow School.

It is currently unknown whether the payment will be a one-off £5,000 or an annual allocation.

A full list of schools involved in the scheme will be published next week.

Chris Binding , Local Democracy Reporting Service