Talent Match Annual Report 2021

There’s no doubt that the COVID pandemic has affected all areas of the Talent Match project over the past year. We’ve all needed to adapt to a strange environment and to find new ways of working alongside the young people that we support. While the direct impact of people contracting the virus has been serious, for many of the Talent Match young people, as well as others across the Black Country, the indirect consequences of lockdowns, restrictions, isolation and anxiety have also had a huge impact. Mental health issues have increased significantly and the progress of many young people on their journeys has been affected. Despite the challenges that we’ve all faced, Talent Match has worked effectively alongside those young people facing barriers that can be hard to overcome.