A new talent and training programme has been launched for young people who struggle to land work in the media.

The Big Issue has announced the launch of its Breakthrough programme, which will offer opportunities to talented 16 to 24-year-olds from underrepresented and less privileged backgrounds.

The title will offer four places, based in London, to create a youth-led unit of its media arm.

It will be run with the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart scheme, which provides funding to create new jobs for 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment.

The recruits will create content for bigissue.com​ and contribute to The Big Issue magazine​, tackling themes such as homelessness, diversity and climate change.

Editor Paul McNamee, pictured, said: “Stakes were high enough pre-pandemic for young people who didn’t have connections or a ready leg-up into this business. It has long been my ambition to do something about that. Now, as opportunities constrict, it’s absolutely the time.

“This is a highly competitive industry. Just because you were born without ladders or open doors doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.

“There is a mass of talent out there and we want to help them. And this is not about free labour through non-paying internships. The young people coming through this programme will be working and for that, they’ll receive a London living wage.

“They’ll leave with a great grounding and the basis to really fly. I hope the first four people this year are just the first of many many more Big Issue Breakthrough standard bearers.”