Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward

Delighted that the East Midlands will be leading the way as one of the Youth Guarantee trailblazer regions. With this additional funding, we have the chance to make Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire the best place to live, work, and learn — where every young person can realise their full potential and contribute to our region’s growing economy and exciting future.

???????????????? ???????????? ?????????? A bitterly cold but brilliant day exploring our region's very special world heritage site. Starting at Darley Abbey, stopping off at Strutt's North Mill, and ending at Cromford Mills. A huge thank you to the heritage team for the tour! These sites are internationally significant, the birthplace of the industrial revolution. I’m keen to promote them to the world and see them once again become hubs of innovation and technology. I’ll be working with East Midlands Combined County Authority colleagues to help make this a reality.

????,?????? ?????? ???????????????? In September, I launched the High Peak bus pass, providing free transport to college students travelling into Greater Manchester. Today, we've hit 10,000 journeys! Education should never be limited by geography or transport costs, and I’m proud that the new combined county authority is helping students access the opportunities they deserve. I also want to thank the campaigning parents whose persistence made this pilot scheme a reality. Their determination ensured we acted to support these young people. https://lnkd.in/eB_-KJiR

I'm excited about launching the Inclusive Growth Commission, which will identify how the region can harness major opportunities and tackle its challenges. This investment reflects our commitment to build a thriving East Midlands economy where every community shares in the progress. Watch the video below to find out more. You can also read more about this on our website at: https://zurl.co/mpio

Inclusive growth means creating opportunities for all - good jobs, quality education, and thriving local economies that work for every single resident. Whether you live in one of our vibrant cities or a rural town or village, this commission will make a real difference to how we lift our region.

A brilliant visit to Rolls Royce's Nuclear Skills Academy with Local Growth Minister, Alex Norris MP. It was great to speak to the students and hear their excitement for the future. Together, we're working to create the skills opportunities that will lead to well-paid jobs right here in our region. Read more here: https://zurl.co/bo0d

It was great to pop over the border to the West Midlands, yesterday. Along with other mayors, we discussed how some of our brilliant businesses can help supercharge growth across the regions. Bringing investment into the East Midlands remains my biggest priority. Our ambition for the future for everyone who lives, works and learns here is captured in our strategic economic framework. It’s our blueprint for the future, an ambitious programme to improve the lives of everyone who calls this region home. You can view it here: https://lnkd.in/eJZeZVgj

It is Youth Work Week - an initiative by The National Youth Agency to celebrate the amazing work young people do and the youth workers who support them. We know young people are key to shaping our future and making our region the best place to live, work, and learn. That's why we're developing our Young Voices initiative to incorporate the views of young people into our plans for the East Midlands. We can't wait to share more about our progress soon! ?? Happy #YouthWorkWeek and a huge thank you to all youth workers in the East Midlands ??

?? ??????-???????????? ?????????????????? Ahead of Wednesday’s budget, I sat down with BBC East Midlands to share my thoughts on what we need as a region. We’ve been badly underfunded for decades and that must change.

???????? ???????????? ?????????? A really exciting milestone in Derby's Great British Railway journey, yesterday. We welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport to the city to meet with rail industry to hear about our plans for a new Rail Campus – a hub for training, growth & collaboration.