South Yorkshire Collaboration Partnership
South Yorkshire: Working together to connect education, skills, employment, health and wellbeing
The Fair Education Alliance is delighted to launch a new Collaboration Partnership with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) - bringing together schools, families, youth organisations, employers, philanthropists, community groups, local authorities and FEA members to co-create fairer systems for children and young people.
South Yorkshire is a region with a powerful sense of identity, community and resilience - a place where collaboration is deep-rooted and where solutions are often forged through shared endeavour. We’re excited to work alongside partners across the region to design approaches that join up education, employment, skills and wellbeing for every child and young person.
The regional picture
Home to 1.4 million residents across four local authority areas
A proud industrial heritage and a strong culture of community collaboration
Longstanding inequalities in education, health and employment
A growing economy across manufacturing, health tech and construction
50 Fair Education Alliance member organisations support children and young people in South Yorkshire.
Members are active in 262 education settings in the region.
South Yorkshire is a region of creativity, resilience and renewal. From Sheffield’s advanced manufacturing cluster to Rotherham’s construction and logistics sectors, new industries are reshaping the local economy. Yet too many young people still face barriers to accessing good jobs.
This partnership aims to link education, regeneration and skills so that economic growth benefits every community.
About the partnership
Together with partners from across the region, we will:
Bring together schools, employers, training providers, health and wellbeing services, youth organisations and families
Co-design collaborative approaches to join up support for young people
Ensure young people’s voices and lived experiences shape decision-making
Strengthen community-led leadership across the region
Develop shared approaches to skills, post-16 transitions, and local opportunities
Pilot work that connects education pathways with health, wellbeing and belonging
A particular focus of our work will be collaborating with members across the region to design fairer pathways into meaningful training and employment, ensuring that wellbeing, confidence and readiness are supported at every stage.
With over £500,000 in grant funding and support, the partnership will test new ways of working and share learning through the FEA’s national network.
“Our young people are at the heart of South Yorkshire’s future - because when they thrive, our whole region thrives.
“I’ve heard from young people about the challenges they face getting into education, jobs and training. Their message was loud and clear that far too often the support they need is patchy and hard to find.
That’s why I’m proud we’re teaming up with the Fair Education Alliance, bringing their expertise into our communities to make a real difference – working together with young people and our partners, to create new support networks.
There’s talent everywhere in South Yorkshire. If we connect that talent with the right opportunities, we’ll unlock the potential of every young person, so everyone can stay near and go far.”
Neighbourhood to National
The South Yorkshire Collaboration Partnership is part of the FEA’s Neighbourhood to National strategy. Insights from this work will feed into the Mayoral Combined Authority Network, a forum for all Metro Mayors and Combined Authority teams to share learning, align strategies, and act collectively with and for young people.
With a strong track record of partnering with cities across the UK and globally, Bloomberg brings unique expertise in convening leaders and stakeholders to accelerate systemic change. Bloomberg is joined by founding funder UBS, whose support for place-based change has been pivotal in progress for children and young people. Long-term FEA supporters A&O Shearman, Barclays Life Skills, IG Group, Mission44, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation are joined by The Dulverton Trust and Stratton Chase to ensure the success of this ambitious strategy.
