A £60 million programme to tackle youth unemployment in south-west Scotland has been launched.
The funding is from the European Commission’s Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), which targets areas across the European Union where youth unemployment levels reached 25% or more based on 2012 figures.
The cash will be available until December 2018, and will be spent by the Scottish Funding Council and south-west Scotland councils on initiatives to help young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The investment being announced today will provide a fantastic boost to efforts to improve employment prospects in the area and should be welcomed by young people and employers alike.”
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Keith Brown, said: “The programme will support a wide range of activities to help young people find employment and provide them with the skills that local employers say they are looking for in the local workforce.
“While the most recent European youth employment figures show that Scotland compares well to a large number of member states, we know that challenges remain.
“The Youth Employment Initiative again demonstrates the value of working with the European Commission to drive forward our economic growth.”