One of Scotland’s largest regional employability programmes has been officially launched following a £1 million skills investment by JPMorganChase.

Glasgow Regional Opportunities for Work (GROW) will be delivered by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in partnership with DYW ( Developing the Young Workforce ) Glasgow, DYW LED and DYW West. It will support over 700 young people, delivering over 40,000 hours of work experience through co-ordinated site visits across the Glasgow City Region. The GROW project will seek to engage with 250 employers across the digital technology sector, renewable energy, housing, finance, hospitality, creative industries and health, all vital to Glasgow’s growing economy.

GROW is a bespoke devolved regional skills programme, which is business led and reflects the skills gaps and opportunities which are most appropriate to Glasgow’s economy. The programme aims to increase the career readiness of young people from lower socio-economic background through multiple exposure to, and engagement with, employers to help them make informed decisions about their future.

The £1 million support is part of JPMorganChase’s broader £40 million UK business and philanthropic commitment to drive inclusive economic growth, aiming to transform access to work experience, for those furthest from the labour market.

JPMorganChase support for GROW follows its partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), the national body for careers education in England, focused on supporting young people facing barriers to progression to make informed decisions about careers, build employability skills, and remain in education or training.  GROW serves as one of JPMorganChase’s flagship skills initiatives in Scotland and will work to connect secondary students from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds to work experience to develop their work-readiness skills.

The program builds on findings and recommendations from the OECD report “Future-Proofing the Skills System in the Glasgow City Region”, supported by JPMorganChase, to strengthen the school to work transition for young people. GROW seeks to help close these gaps and increase the career readiness of young people from areas of higher deprivation.

Alison McRae, Senior Director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of Glasgow’s Employment and Skills Board said: “This is a defining moment for Glasgow City region’s future workforce and a great example of devolved regional skills funding in action.

“GROW will specifically target our hardest to reach communities, delivering a two-year programme with 13 points of engagement to inspire, prepare and connect young people with business opportunities.

“It is a hugely ambitious initiative that exemplifies Glasgow’s forward-thinking approach and unwavering commitment to building a capable, driven and inclusive workforce.”

Gillian McLennan, Managing Director Leading Capital Management Technology, JPMorganChase UK said: “We are investing in skills and training to help young people access greater career opportunities, because we think engaged labour force participation is a critical element of the strong economy that benefits Scottish businesses.

“Our continued investments will support the UK’s increased focus on boosting skills and pathways to quality careers.”

For more info/to get involved in GROW please visit www.dywwest.co.uk/grow