AT A time when it seems only dark clouds blot out the horizon, isn’t it reassuring to hear of a project that is actually, genuinely, 100 per cent working and helping to get young people into jobs?

It may only be a modest initiative, but already it has produced impressive results.

Set up just weeks ago and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the Blackbird Leys Community Development Initiative (CDI) YP2 scheme has already helped three young people back into work – a major achievement considering today’s economic climate.

Spearheaded by adviser Craig Morbey, YP2 aims to help young people with all aspects of job hunting, covering everything from writing CVs and covering letters to learning interview techniques.

As many of us know, finding a new job can be a job in itself. So any scheme that can help teenagers break into the labour market is to be applauded. As of course is anyone who actively seeks out the kind of help and support YP2 offers.

Being unemployed is physically, emotionally and spiritually debilitating, whatever age you are.

But for a teenager it can rob them of the will to believe there can be a better future. YP2 offers not just hope, but practical, real-world, solutions to ensure young people do get that first foothold on the ladder.