Employment platform GetMyFirstJob has raised $750k from Nesta Impact Investments.
The startup uses a web platform to connect young people with companies and training providers so that they can take on apprenticeships that might help them get their first job (hence the name).
Fixing youth unemployment
A well-documented trend, youth unemployment has risen reasonably steadily since the beginning of the 2008 recession with the total figure now around 764,000 (according to the Office of National Statistics).
GetMyFirstJob hopes to fix the trend by increasing the number of apprenticeships that students take on.
“One of the big issues when it comes to apprenticeships is timing. How do you get the right young person into an apprenticeship quickly so that it works for employers?” explains cofounder and CEO David Allison.
“One of the very frustrating things for young people is that they have lots of people giving them advice but it rarely leads directly to a job. As soon as young people register their details with GetMyFirstJob they can be contacted by proactive employers and training providers as well as looking for the best vacancies for themselves.”
The number of people taking government-backed apprenticeships dropped by 70,000 last year.