The Cornwall Council pilot of three youth hubs set up to help young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has reported what officials describe as an "incredible" early impact after six months.
Three centres, focused support
The scheme comprises three dedicated centres in Camborne, St Austell and Liskeard. The hubs offer mentoring, advice and routes into work placements, training and other opportunities intended to improve young people’s skills and employability.
- Target group: 16–24-year-olds currently NEET.
- Model: dedicated mentoring and employer links.
- Timescale: year-long pilot, evaluating early outcomes at six months.
What young people are saying
Council observers and hub users say the service has changed how some young people approach job search and training. Two participants quoted by the council illustrated different ways the hubs have helped.
"It's been quite tough. You have to be quite resilient because every rejection, every ghosting of an application, does knock you back a bit... I find it really hard. I'm quite proud, but it's not a crime to ask for help because someone might have the answers you've not thought of and you just think: 'That's exactly what I need.'"
The comment came from Charlotte Allen-Squire, 22, who was referred to the St Austell hub after 18 months out of work. She said the hub helped her access training to add new skills to her CV and find information about opportunities she had not known existed in the county.
Another participant, Wouter Le Roux, 20, described feeling "stuck" after two years of searching for work. He said involvement with the hub gave him motivation and the chance to pursue an engineering course with a local employer. "Even if I don't have a job yet, I have got a lot more qualifications, a lot more experience," he said.
Early outcomes and next steps
The council reports the pilot is already surpassing its initial targets within the first six months and has suggested the model could be rolled out to additional locations in future. The hubs focus on matching young people with training and work placements, and on providing tailored casework to navigate the barriers many face when seeking employment.
| Hub | Primary purpose |
|---|---|
| Camborne | Mentoring, employer links, work placements |
| St Austell | Skills training, CV support, referrals |
| Liskeard | Advice, placements, local employer engagement |
Officials say the hubs provide a more concentrated point of contact for young people than broader employment or training services, emphasising sustained support rather than short-term interventions.
Local implications
For communities across the county, the hubs aim to tackle persistent pockets of youth unemployment and the barriers that keep people disengaged from training and the labour market. Early success in reaching and helping young people gain qualifications and experience could inform how other services are commissioned.
Key aspects of the model that have drawn attention are:
- Direct mentoring to rebuild confidence and practical job-search skills.
- Stronger links with local employers to create pathways into apprenticeships and roles.
- Practical training to add identifiable qualifications to young people’s CVs.
Council leaders say the pilot’s first six months have exceeded expectations and have prompted discussion about opening more hubs in other towns if funding and partners can be secured. For young people facing repeated rejections and unclear routes into work, the hubs appear to offer an organised starting point backed by local employers and training providers.
Longer-term evaluation will be required to determine how many participants secure sustained employment or further education and whether the hubs can be scaled while maintaining the personalised support users describe as crucial.
Reporting from the pilot’s first half-year suggests the model is already changing how some young people in Cornwall approach training and work — turning a period of being "stuck" into new qualifications, experience and, for some, a clearer route into the jobs market.
