Fire borough commander for Tower Hamlets wants businesses to support a youth scheme that aims to keep young people away from a life of crime.

jkjkdHe wants them follow the example of volunteers who are investing their time to help run London Fire Brigade’s Community Fire Cadet course by contributing to the scheme.

The course is held at Millwall Fire Station on Tuesday nights between 6pm and 9pm and has up to 16 young people from the local area who are looking to turn their lives around.

It aims to steer young people away from crime and get them back into education, training or employment. Successful cadets are awarded a BTEC in fire and rescue services in the community which is hugely beneficial to businesses at a time when around 20 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds are out of work.

It costs around £30,000 with new courses needing an additional £12,000 to get the course up and running.

Businesses can sponsor the cost of one young person, around £2,000. External investment is vital for the scheme’s long term future, without which the Brigade says it would struggle to continue.

Bruce Epsly, Borough Commander for Tower Hamlets, said: “Our work with London’s young people over the years has reduced attacks on firefighters, brought communities together and installed key skills that help them in the job market. At this tough financial time however, we cannot do this on our own.

“We need some financial help from London’s small, medium and large businesses to invest London’s young people, getting them off the street and into work.”