A careers service has been granted £850,000 to help in career and higher education aspirations for young people.

Future U, which works across Lancashire, has received the funding from Office for Students to continue its careers support for an extra 12 months.

The service has already helped 25,000 young people in the county since 2017 and hosts events to increase career and higher education aspirations for young people and encourage teenagers to think about studying at university and their career aspirations.

The funding will allow the programme to continue to host events at schools and colleges, including Blackburn College and Burnley College, so that young people can explore careers that are of interest.

It also provides young people with opportunities to speak with leading employers and finding out about opportunities after leaving school such as university courses and degree apprenticeships.

It also supports families and young people in Blackburn and Burnley who are currently underrepresented in higher education.

Future U programme manager, Theo Blackburn said: “We are very excited to build upon the successes of previous phases as we continue to support those that need this support now more than ever across Lancashire.

“The inclusion of adult learners for this year is a welcome addition and opens up exciting opportunities, while our new website will play an important role as a one stop shop in supporting schools, colleges and other organisations to find crucial information as well as details on events and activities, all aiming to support progression to Level 4 study.”

The funding will also allow the programme to provide additional support to adult learners, children in care, young carers and students from military families.

Lancashire’s Future U works with a network of schools, in addition to colleges, higher education providers and local agencies to create tailored activities to meet the needs of students for now and the future.