A Wiltshire youth organisation has been chosen to receive funding for a project aimed at getting young people into work.

SMASH Youth Project, part of Pinetrees Community Centre, in Pinehurst, has been selected by UK Youth, a charity that supports youth work.

The project, called Building Connections, aims to help youth workers establish better routes towards employment for young people.

A number of new areas - including Swindon, Wigan and Somerset - have been chosen for the programme, where youth work partners will build links with small and medium-sized businesses and connect them with young people looking for work.

SMASH, with a small team of professional mentors, offers secure environments and practical assistance for young people, aiding them to access help, express their aspirations and achieve their potential.

Andy Malcolm, SMASH chief executive officer, said: "We're delighted to be joining the Building Connections partnership with UK Youth.

"UK Youth continues to lead, innovate and invest in excellent youth work across the UK and it is a delight for us at SMASH to be able to partner with them on the brilliant Building Connections programme, bringing much valued investment into supporting Swindon’s young people."

He added: “We are incredibly grateful to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) [which is supporting the project] for their investment in this opportunity and look forward to working together, along with local colleagues and partners, to improve employability options for Swindon’s young people.”

The benefits of Building Connections, which has been running for two years, include increased confidence and awareness of young people to pursue their employment goals, developing youth workers’ confidence and skills in delivering employability support to young people, and connecting youth organisations and local employers.

CCEP's involvement is part of the soft drinks manufacturer's goal to aid 500,000 people facing hurdles in the job market by helping them improve their skills and confidence by 2030.

Mr Malcolm added: "We will be delivering specific mentoring for a good proportion of young people over the summer who are not engaged in education, employment or training or at risk of becoming not engaged in education, employment or training, offering them a tailored offer to improve their employability prospects.

“We aim to host a celebration of employability event in the autumn, before working with young people on careers options through the winter to the end of our first year working together.”