MORE than half of the young people taking part in an employability skills project led by their peers have found jobs.

All the young people taking part in the five week Reducing the Skills Gap pilot programmes in Darlington and Newcastle, completed the course with 58 per cent of them going on to find jobs.

The project run by the Regional Youth Work Unit North East (RYWU), aims to equip young people with employability skills identified as being the most important for employers in the North-East.

It followed research by RYWU involving 237 young people in their teens and early twenties and 159 employers.

That research showed that both employers and young people felt that there is a lack of skills preparation for the world of work, leading to young people not succeeding in gaining and sustaining employment.

The top six skills identified by employers were communication, team work, time management professionalism (dressing and behaving appropriately), motivation and enthusiasm, and commitment.

Under the scheme young people receive mock interviews and work experience, while the firms involved provide one of their own young employees to outline what the world of work is like and how they themselves entered it.

An important part of the programme is its delivery by peer educators, other young people of the same age trained to deliver the programme.

Neil Burke said: "The Reducing the Skills Gap programme really shows the true value of young people being involved in designing and delivering programmes that are aimed to support young people.

"By delivering employability training in creative, interactive, fun methods which are young person friendly, participants really do gain the learning and skills they need to gain and sustain employment in today's society."

Mr Burke said there were plans to deliver the programme across the North-East.

The original research by the RYWU found that young people in the North-East value the opportunity to gain employment skills through work experience and engagement with employers to equip them with the relevant skills and experience that both parties require.

The study also found that the vast majority of young people wanted to work and that 91per cent had experience of applying for jobs.

Many placed the experience of working above the financial gain of a job.

The research backs up the work of Foundation for Jobs, a joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment between The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of public and private sector organisations.

Since April last year Foundation for Jobs has enabled 1499 school age pupils to engage with employers, delivered 160 work experience placements and worked with employers to create 140 new apprenticeships.