Recruitment and training specialist Omega Resource Group plc is leading the charge on youth unemployment in the Midlands, having been named as the regional partner of the government's innovative Backing Young Britain provision.

Launched in January 2010, the national initiative seeks to provide 5,000 work experience placements (up to 2 weeks) and 20,000 internships (up to 13 weeks) to 18-24 year olds across the UK who have not been to university and are struggling to find work.

One of only three key partners appointed by the government, Omega will be running the scheme in the Midlands, South West and South Wales, charged with securing over 1,000 positions across the regions working alongside contractor Reed in Partnership.

Robert Dove, the divisional director of Omega Resource Group plc who is running the Backing Young Britain contract, said: "This is a truly innovative scheme by the government to give young people a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience that they might not otherwise have had, and fight the notion that we have a generation of youths who do not, and do not want to, work."

On 10 March Omega launched Backing Young Britain in the Midlands with a dedicated seminar in Birmingham to educate the region's businesses on the mutual benefits of the provision.

"The Midlands, and Birmingham especially," Dove said, "is trying to reverse the trend towards young worklessness that we have seen developing during the recession - the 'lost generation' of British young people."

According to recently published data from the University and College Union (UCU), as many as one in four young people have no qualifications in some areas of the Midlands.

"We hope that in securing internships for young people across the region," he said, "will turn around this toxic perception of the workless youth and giving young people vital experience that will springboard them into a rewarding career," he said.

The Backing Young Britain programme is available to any non-graduate between the age of 18-24 who has been seeking work for 6 months or more.

Potential candidates are encouraged to sign up to Omega's dedicated online web portal - www.omegaresource.co.uk/byb - where they will be able to search a central database for roles relevant to their career of choice.

"This scheme works well because it encourages a mutually beneficial relationship between intern and employer," explained Dove. "All of the roles on our database are worthwhile - candidates will never sign up to a placement and end up making tea and coffee all day.

"Conversely, employers must meet with the young person once a week to review their progress and make sure that they are doing the job well. They can, of course, then contact Omega to offer the intern paid employment at any time during or after the internship."