British Gas has announced plans to create 1,000 new skilled jobs for young unemployed people over the next three years.
The jobs will be created through a partnership between leading environment charity Global Action Plan, British Gas and Accenture, the management consultancy.
The plan follows a recent report by the Work Foundation which found that, since the start of the recession, youth unemployment in the UK has risen faster than any other G8 nation.
The Transform partnership, supported by Jobcentre Plus, will give free sustainability training for five days to 1,400 17-25 year olds not currently in education, employment or training (NEET). Everyone who successfully completes the course will receive a BTEC qualification and is guaranteed an interview with British Gas.
1,000 full-time jobs have been created through British Gas's ECO (Energy Company Obligation) programme, which delivers housing regeneration to communities to help them improve their energy efficiency.
Global Action Plan will deliver training in the community and support participants, while Accenture supported the programme's development through its Skills to Succeed programme which will help 500,000 young people worldwide to get work or start a business.