APP-Y DAYS – MAYOR’S YOUNG PERSON’S GUARANTEE TAKES BIG STEP FORWARD WITH LAUNCH OF NEW AI-POWERED CAREERS APP

• Steve Rotheram’s Young Person’s Guarantee assures region’s young people a job, training or apprenticeship.
• Award winning Be More launches all-in-one training and careers portal, complete with new AI-powered app
• Mayor Rotheram: ‘As a former apprentice, I know the life-changing impact that decent training opportunities and good careers advice can have’

Steve Rotheram’s Young Person’s Guarantee (YPG) took has taken another giant leap forward with the launch of the new Be More app, which has been built using cutting edge AI technology.

The YPG was a manifesto commitment which promises a guaranteed job, training or apprenticeship opportunity to any of the region’s young people who find themselves out of work, education or training.

Building on the success of Be More, the Mayor’s award-winning UCAS-style apprenticeship service, the app will connect local residents with employment and opportunities. As part of the launch, Be More has been refreshed and evolved into a new all-in-one training and careers portal, that will offer support to businesses, training providers and residents of all ages.

The app will offer real-time updates on local vacancies, while Artificial Intelligence will help users write CVs and offer personalised recommendations on opportunities relevant to their areas of interest.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“As a former apprentice, I know first-hand the life-changing impact that decent training opportunities and good careers advice can have on a young person’s future. My own training, and the opportunity to study later in life, opened up a world of opportunity that I never thought possible.

“But for far too long, too many people in our area haven’t been given those same chances. Too often, they have been held back from fulfilling their true potential, not because of a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. As Mayor, I am determined to use devolution to put that right.

“Be More is one of my proudest achievements since being elected mayor. It’s already won awards for the difference it has made but I am constantly pushing to do better. The launch of this new app marks the next stage in its journey and will act as a single front door to help people from across the region to get on and succeed in life.

“It’s the first of its kind anywhere in the country and I’m sure other areas are already looking to copy. Once again, through our pioneering work, it’s the Liverpool City Region charting a course for other places to follow.”

The Be More portal was designed in collaboration with local employers, careers advisors, councils, teachers, students and jobseekers from across the city region.

It forms part of a wider package of skills support including grants worth £4.5m to support 1,500 businesses and help 10,000 people by the end of 2022.

Joanne Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool and Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills, Equality and Diversity, said:

“This project is so vitally important to help tackle the shortage of skills that holds back our residents, offering them the opportunity to reach their potential.

“Getting a job, training or apprenticeship is absolutely life changing but too often we hear of people who find it hard to access opportunities.

“This project is absolutely fundamental to making sure people of all backgrounds and ages are given a helping hand on to the employment ladder.”

An LCR Skills and Apprenticeships Hub has been operating since January 2020, thanks to £3.96m from the Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) and, in November of that year, a £5.45m investment by the European Social Fund (ESF).

It was created to build key skills in the city region after employers reported serious skills gaps that were preventing growth and sustainability.