Pledge to tackle Peterborough NEET challenge gains momentum with Inspire Education Group

Inspire Education Group (IEG) is strengthening support for young people across the region to help address the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

As a major education provider across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, IEG is drawing on its extensive experience in supporting young people and communities through education, skills development and community support to deliver a dedicated Community Navigator programme, improving access to high-quality information, advice and guidance and creating real local impact.

The initiative, led by IEG and funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), supports the Government’s Youth Guarantee within the national “Get Britain Working” policy, which aims to ensure all young people can progress into education, employment or training.

Through the programme, Community Navigators are trained by IEG’s Jobsmart facility in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), alongside trauma-informed practice, effectively equipping community practitioners with the skills to support young people facing barriers to education and employment while building trusted local networks that can guide them towards opportunities.

Nicola Ellis, Lecturer at IEG’s Inspire Hub, highlighted the impact of the training on their professional practice, explaining that the qualification helped shift their approach from reactive support to a more structured and intentional model of guidance, saying:

“Completing this course has significantly shifted my practice from being purely reactive to being more structured and intentional. In the iHub, we support students with complex Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMH)  needs, ADHD, and anxiety. It is easy to want to fix every problem through this programme. We can implement the professional boundaries and processes required to be a more effective practitioner.”

Clare Wookey, Assistant Principal for Adult Curriculum and Partnerships, said the initiative is already making a tangible difference in strengthening support networks for young people:

“This programme is about ensuring young people have access to the guidance and encouragement they need to take the next step in their journey. By training people already working within our communities, we are creating trusted points of support who can listen, advise and help young people access the opportunities available to them.”

Inspire Education Group continues to work closely with regional partners, employers and community organisations to strengthen pathways into education, employment and training for young people across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Lincolnshire.

Find out more about how we work with businesses here.