A service supporting hundreds of 'hidden young people' with jobs and skills has received a £420,000 top-up.

Members of East Suffolk's cabinet met on Tuesday (1 October) evening to discuss carrying its Youth Employment Service (YES) into March 2028 with a £420,000 top-up.

The support service, created in 2019, helps young people aged 16 to 24 receive job coaching, skills workshops, employer interactions, and access to other programmes.

Cllr Tim Wilson, the economic development lead at the council, said the service was 'vital', particularly for 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

The officer's report described the service, which currently helps around 300 young people every year, as a way to address the 'increasingly more challenging needs' in the district.

This is particularly true, the report states, for the 'hidden young people' in the more rural areas of East Suffolk.

According to council figures, there were 226 NEET 16 to 17-year-olds in the district in December last year, and 752 universal credit claimants searching for work between the ages of 18 and 24.

The council's leader, Caroline Topping, added the proposals would be particularly important to address the 'huge skills shortage' ahead of the need set to be created by Sizewell C.

On top of this, the council has also secured an extra £190,000 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), to provide further specialist services.

The investment received unanimous support from cabinet members as well as opposition councillors who attended the meeting.