Derbyshire County Council is tripling the opening hours of its Swadlincote youth employment hub, giving 16 to 24-year-olds in South Derbyshire more face-to-face time with careers advisers, training providers and employers. The Youth Employment Support (YES) Derbyshire programme, run jointly with the Department for Work and Pensions, will now operate from Rink House on Rink Drive three days a week instead of one, after securing additional government funding.
The expansion means young people who are not in education, employment or training can access the hub on more days for one-to-one help with job applications, apprenticeships, training courses and wellbeing guidance. Councillor Stephen Reed, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for business services, said the extra capacity backs the authority’s commitment to “create communities where people live safe, healthy, independent lives.” In the 12 months to April 2026, YES Derbyshire supported 511 young people across the county, with 138 moving into apprenticeships or jobs and 306 completing work experience, volunteering or training.
The hub is one of four that the council now runs, alongside centres in Chesterfield, Ilkeston and Erewash. The Swadlincote site sits at the same Rink Drive campus as the adult community education centre, and its expansion follows a countywide pattern of growing demand. The Chesterfield hub reached 484 young people in its opening year against a goal of 300, and the programme has since widened its reach alongside complementary council schemes such as Unstoppable Derbyshire, which targets 18 to 21-year-olds in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire with a six-month package of wellness, work skills and community activities.
A series of drop-in careers fairs begins on Monday 27 July at Swadlincote Adult Education Centre, running from 1pm to 4pm, with no booking required. Two further fairs follow on 28 July in Chesterfield and 29 July in Cotmanhay and Ilkeston. In August, post-exam advice sessions will open at the same Swadlincote centre on 24 August from 11am to 4pm, and again in Chesterfield on 25 August and Ilkeston Library on 27 August. Young people and organisations that work with them can contact YES Derbyshire by emailing [email protected], texting HUB to 86555, or calling 01629 539720.
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