An Ipswich employer is set to help youngsters in the town find careers by making them more employable.

Financial services firm Scrutton Bland has become a Cornerstone Employer, working with other employers to develop employability and skills in schools and colleges after the town scored low for social mobility.

It will be working with The Careers & Enterprise Company and the New Anglia Enterprise Adviser Network to provide young people in the Ipswich Opportunity Area with better access to employers and experience of the world of work.

In 2017, Ipswich ranked 292 out of the 324 local authority areas included in a nationwide Social Mobility Index. The index assessed the chances that a disadvantaged child - measured by eligibility for free school meals - will perform well and get a job.

The town was one of 12 Opportunity Areas in England chosen to receive £6m each to help build the knowledge and skills of local young people and advise them.

Part of the programme will focus on greater collaboration to bridge the gap between education and employers. Scrutton Bland, along with 10 other local organisations, has backed the initiative.

Corporate services partner Sue Gull said: "It was our centenary in 2019 so it is fitting that we partner with New Anglia Enterprise Adviser Network in a local initiative which aims to develop a range of skills in the next generation , whether that is traditional business knowledge, or confidence and resilience in the workplace."

Jordan Holder, enterprise coordinator at New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said they were "thrilled" Scrutton Bland had joined the initiative.