Exeter City Football Club's community trust has opened a new Youth Hub at St James Park to tackle local youth unemployment. The facility, which opened this week, offers targeted support for people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Delivered by Exeter City Community Trust in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, the hub is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. It aims to support at least 150 young people across the city with a comprehensive range of services.

Support services and referral process

The hub is open three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, offering one-to-one appointments, group workshops and drop-in sessions. Young people can access mental health and wellbeing support, housing advice, training, qualifications, and pathways into work experience and volunteering. Referrals are made via Jobcentre Plus, and the hub provides ongoing support for the first 12 weeks of any new employment to help sustain positive outcomes.

Laura Evans, Head of Inclusion at Exeter City Community Trust, expressed delight at the opening and the DWP funding that made it possible. The initiative comes as national figures show more than one in eight 16-24 year olds, or 981,000 young people, are classified as NEET.

Individual impact and wider context

One beneficiary is 24-year-old Alastair Swain, who was referred after a year on benefits. He now works part-time at Nando's and plans to volunteer with the Community Trust before joining a police force graduate scheme in September. "I think it was the tailored support that I received that made the difference to finding employment," Swain said.

The opening event was attended by Exeter MP Steve Race and Bindu Arjoon, chief executive of Exeter City Council. The hub's launch shows the club's significant social role in the region, operating independently of the first team's League Two campaign. Exeter City currently sit 14th in the table with 12 points from 10 games, and face Colchester United away this Saturday.

The Youth Hub is a concrete example of the club's community commitment, providing a vital resource at the heart of the city. It opens three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Background and full detail: Not specified in the report