SINCE my last column many young people will have received their A level and GCSE results, and I want to congratulate students in Crewe who have continued studying throughout the pandemic to achieve their results.

The pandemic has turned school and college life upside down. I also know the approach to teacher assessment instead of our normal exams wont have been everyone's first choice.

But the positive thing to say is there are now so many opportunities for young people to move forward with the next steps in their careers and education.

It's true the pandemic has put a strain on the job market as many people have had to re-train or have found themselves having to look for work. But there are still opportunities out there.

I recently met a team of young people working for a local charity as part of the government's Kickstart youth employment scheme.

The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion programme of funding to employers to allow them to create new six-month job placements for young people aged 16 to 24 years old who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.

A local charity, Wishing Well, joined the scheme after I asked the local South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce to help small local employers take part.

They now have a team of recruits from the scheme working at the Wishing Well bistro at the Pickmere retirement complex.

I met with Shannon, Beckah and Jordon and heard about how the scheme has helped them develop new skills and build their confidence, even encouraging some to transfer their skills outside of Wishing Well by cooking more for their families and friends at home.

Apprenticeships are increasingly part of the education and training landscape. I am taking on an apprentice in my office as I want to play my part in helping young people get on in life.

Businesses of all sizes in England can now apply for extra funding to help them take on new apprentices, in the latest drive to revolutionise the skills and training offered across the country.

The apprenticeship incentive scheme was confirmed by the Chancellor in the Budget in March and is available now until September 30 for businesses to claim £3,000 for each new apprentice hired. Find more information by following Incentive payments for hiring a new apprentice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

But these days, education and training is life long. Which is why the Lifetime skills guarantee programme is so important.

Adults will be able to benefit from almost 400 fully-funded courses, ranging from engineering to healthcare to conservation. These are available to adults without a full qualification at Level 3 (A-level equivalent) to help them gain in-demand skills and open up further job opportunities.

South Cheshire College provides a whole range of these course and I visited and spoke to learners who are already benefiting from the free course.

It is important that we build back better from the pandemic, and ensure that everyone is given the help and support they need to get into work.