A NEW National Citizen Service (NCS) is being launched in Wales over the coming months local MP, Alun Cairns, has confirmed.

The MP said that the NCS helps 16 and 17 year olds from different backgrounds build skills for work and life, as young people take on new challenges and meet new friends. Running through spring, summer and autumn participants spend a short time away from home and take part in a team project that will help the community.

The scheme helps them develop greater confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. It encourages personal and social development by working on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication.

The NCS is currently available in England and Northern Ireland and has received excellent feedback from employers, charities and community groups. It is now planned to role out the NCS to include Wales. It aims to promote a more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities.

Alun Cairns said: “I am delighted that this scheme is being extended to Wales. It gives young people in the Vale of Glamorgan a chance to mix with people from different backgrounds and gain valuable life experiences and develop important skills that they can take with them into the world of work.”

“Organisations or coalitions of organisations are now being sought to run NCS in Wales and I would encourage any local organisation that meets the specification to apply.

“This is a great programme has strong cross-community aims, with participants coming from both rural and urban areas across Wales.”