DEPRIVED young people in West Somerset will receive part of a £1million fund to boost their career prospects.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening announced that West Somerset had been identified as one of six targeted 'Opportunity Areas' which would receive £1million to support secondary schools and colleges most in need.

The £1million will be divided up between the six targeted areas.

The Social Mobility Commission has highlighted that these areas have particular entrenched barriers that make it harder for young people to progress.

In February, the Somerset County Gazette reported that youngsters from deprived backgrounds in West Somerset had less chance of escaping poverty than any other district in the country.

West Somerset was rated the worst district or borough in the entire country in the government's social mobility index, which measures the likelihood of children from deprived backgrounds succeeding in getting a good education and good job.

The social mobility index looks at children who qualify for free school meals, and then ranked the local authority on access to good pre-schools, primary school, secondary schools and higher education, and also their chance of getting a well-paid job or buy their own home.

The £1million will be invested in local programmes that can demonstrate their effectiveness in working with young people in greatest need of support, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and pupils at risk of being NEET (not in education, employment or training).

The money will come from the Careers & Enterprise Company, a government-funded investment programme.

The ambition is for every pupil in a secondary school and college in these Opportunity Areas to receive four encounters with employers, in line with evidence that this significantly increases rates of employment and earnings.

MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, Ian Liddell-Grainger said: "This is some fantastic news for West Somerset, and I must say it came as a surprise. I’ve been working with a cross party group campaigning for this for a long time.

"West Somerset has a small sixth form college but for many courses young people need to travel to Taunton or Bridgwater.

"We are saying people should be given the opportunity in their own communities. The government has recognised at long last we need to do more for rural youths and is finally addressing the issue directly."

Paul Rushforth, headteacher at Minehead Middle School said: "We have been saying that West Somerset's rurality means youngsters here do not get the same opportunities as urban areas.

"We will have to wait until we have more details, but I am grateful that the issue has been recognised and that the Government is giving some support.

"The total budget for schools in West Somerset is around £12million, so this really is a significant sum of money."

Cllr Karen Mills, Lead Member for Economic Regeneration at West Somerset Council, said: “This is excellent news and demonstrates that some of the issues we face in West Somerset are being addressed.

“Investment in our young people is vital to give them the opportunities to gain the qualifications, skills and employment prospects that their peers in other parts of the county – and country – can enjoy.

“We have made great strides ourselves by creating our employment hubs locally but more needs to be done earlier. I look forward to working with our partners to make the most of the funding that is being invested in West Somerset.”

Claudia Harris, chief executive of the Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “This money will scale up many of the existing, proven careers and enterprise programmes and ensure that young people get multiple opportunities to learn from employers through the course of their education."