Young people in Hackney can benefit from a new council scheme to help them gain skills to forge successful careers.

Working in partnership with Hackney Homes, Job Centre Plus and local secondary schools and businesses, the council has launched Hackney Opportunities Week, starting on March 2.

Events are free and will cover a wide range of employment topics from improving CVs and personal branding to interview technique.

Young people can also find out more about the Hackney Opportunity Hub which opened this month in Shoreditch - home to the Council’s Ways into Work employment service

The Hub boasts free computers, WI-Fi access and Ways into Work staff on-hand to provide employment support.

Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe said: “Despite Hackney’s reputation as the hub for growing industries such as those linked with tech and the night-time economy, 9.4 per cent of people aged 16 and over in Hackney are unemployed with some young people feeling living and working in Hackney is beyond reach when they leave school.

“We hope that with the launch of the first Hackney Opportunities Week, many young people across the borough will gain the support, skills and confidence to succeed when taking the first step onto the employment ladder and embarking on a career in the borough and beyond.

“Opportunities Week is just one way that we are supporting younger people. We launched the Hackney 100 initiative last year which has seen close to 100 16-17 year-olds into work experience paid at the London Living Wage with a wide-range of businesses across Hackney. Opportunities Week is giving us the chance to highlight some of the great opportunities, from the Council and partners, that are helping prepare our young people for employment after education.”