:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from the BBC News at Six so it's goodbye
:00:00. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Unemployment
:00:10. > :00:13.down in our region for a second quarter in a row, but there's still
:00:14. > :00:19.work to be done to plug the skills gap.
:00:20. > :00:22.We are building skills and wider experience and ways of working which
:00:23. > :00:25.will be valued by employers. We visit a Warwickshire college
:00:26. > :00:26.which is trying to tackle persistently high youth
:00:27. > :00:29.unemployment. Also tonight: Struggling to pay the
:00:30. > :00:34.bills ` how the West Midlands has one of the highest levels of fuel
:00:35. > :00:40.poverty in the country. For the first time we are actually
:00:41. > :00:42.facing the reality of thinking about the bills.
:00:43. > :00:46.Making their home debut ` Birmingham City Ladies play at St Andrew's for
:00:47. > :00:49.the first time, for a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.
:00:50. > :00:54.Why would anyone want to swim 900 miles and spend 135 days in the
:00:55. > :00:58.water? We'll ask the first man to swim the length of Britain.
:00:59. > :01:01.After the chill of last night, things staying a little milder
:01:02. > :01:03.tonight, but don't get used to it ` the cold's back tomorrow. Your full
:01:04. > :01:16.forecast later. Good evening. The number of people
:01:17. > :01:20.out of work here in the West Midlands has fallen for a second
:01:21. > :01:28.quarter in a row. Between July and September, unemployment fell by
:01:29. > :01:32.15,000 to 257,000. But at 9.5%, the region's unemployment rate is still
:01:33. > :01:35.higher than the national average. Today, the Deputy Prime Minister,
:01:36. > :01:40.Nick Clegg, said that tackling youth unemployment is a Government
:01:41. > :01:42.priority. We've been to a Warwickshire college which is
:01:43. > :01:50.developing entrepreneurial skills among its students to help them find
:01:51. > :01:53.work. Liz Copper reports. Andy Plester and Graham Bird started
:01:54. > :01:57.their tree`felling business while they were still studying. They
:01:58. > :02:02.combined their college course with commercial experience. Eight months
:02:03. > :02:10.on and they're starting to see the skills they learned turn into
:02:11. > :02:12.profits. We have worries but we thought we would take them in our
:02:13. > :02:18.stride and see how things turned adult. So far, things have gone
:02:19. > :02:23.well. We decided it is the best way to set your business up by far.
:02:24. > :02:28.Personally, I think it is better than working for somebody, being
:02:29. > :02:31.able to work for yourself. Building a business though is tough,
:02:32. > :02:39.especially for students fresh out of college. Starting a business
:02:40. > :02:49.requires skills. But can enter a new real spirit be taught? ``
:02:50. > :02:55.entrepreneurial spirit. When students are following the
:02:56. > :02:59.curriculum, we are building in the skills and experiences and ways of
:03:00. > :03:02.working which will be valued by employers and valuable to them when
:03:03. > :03:12.they leave college and take the next step. These students are preparing
:03:13. > :03:15.for an exhibition next week. Their work will be on show, but also for
:03:16. > :03:18.sale. It's one of the projects designed to help them build
:03:19. > :03:23.entrepreneurial skills. There is a standard and brief we have to meet
:03:24. > :03:28.and it is training as up to be ready for the kind of demands we will get
:03:29. > :03:35.from our clients if we were to work in that role. Trying to look for
:03:36. > :03:41.work experience to get more skills so I know what I need to do when I'm
:03:42. > :03:44.out there. It is very hard as well. You have to have an eye out for
:03:45. > :03:50.customers and consumers and what they are buying and that will
:03:51. > :03:53.escalate you up to think what you can sell and do.
:03:54. > :03:55.Cutting youth unemployment is a continuing challenge. Building
:03:56. > :04:07.businesses which flourish even in economically difficult conditions
:04:08. > :04:11.will help bring unemployment down. Our business correspondent Peter
:04:12. > :04:14.Plisner is at the Skills Show at the NEC tonight. It's good news that
:04:15. > :04:17.unemployment has fallen again in our region but, as Liz's report showed,
:04:18. > :04:21.getting the right skills is key to bringing down youth unemployment.
:04:22. > :04:39.What else is being done to tackle that? I think that is exactly where
:04:40. > :04:46.the the Skills Show comes in. It is on at the NEC for the next few days.
:04:47. > :04:53.Unemployment is down but still work to do. How does the Skills Show
:04:54. > :04:59.help? Unemployment is the reason the Skills Show exists. That is together
:05:00. > :05:05.the UK people and youngsters and ability to learn skills. Not just
:05:06. > :05:12.normal education but skills they were able to turn their hands to for
:05:13. > :05:15.the rest of their lives. Is getting skills or academic education more
:05:16. > :05:23.important? Some employers seem to prefer vocational skills. Most of
:05:24. > :05:28.the time people go to university and get a degree and then find they want
:05:29. > :05:35.to do something different. The wonderful thing about the Skills
:05:36. > :05:39.Show is that you can try different things. You could join and
:05:40. > :05:42.apprenticeship or do further education and get the right
:05:43. > :05:49.qualification to allow you to do that skill. When you look for staff,
:05:50. > :05:57.what do you look for? I don't put as much emphasis on university degrees
:05:58. > :06:02.as many people. I am looking for passion, desire and the ability to
:06:03. > :06:13.make it happen. There are so many young people who join us. The Skills
:06:14. > :06:19.Show is on for the next few days. Saturday is family day.
:06:20. > :06:22.Coming up later in the programme: Learning to trust again ` the
:06:23. > :06:27.project in Walsall helping the young victims of sexual predators to
:06:28. > :06:31.rebuild their lives. Utility bills are set to increase
:06:32. > :06:34.above inflation for the next 17 years. That's the stark warning
:06:35. > :06:40.today from the National Audit Office. Many are already struggling
:06:41. > :06:42.to pay their energy bills. New figures show a third of
:06:43. > :06:45.constituencies in the West Midlands are among the worst for fuel
:06:46. > :06:56.poverty. Here's our political reporter Susana Mendonca.
:06:57. > :07:00.John is a teacher. He is out of work at the moment so for the first time
:07:01. > :07:07.in his life he has to choose a dream paying heating or eating. I have
:07:08. > :07:16.decided to cut everything done. It is cold in here. Not as cold as my
:07:17. > :07:29.room but, yes. You are not going to put any seating on. Now. He is one
:07:30. > :07:35.of Birmingham's fuel poor. It is one of `` around one third of the worst
:07:36. > :07:40.places in the UK for fuel poverty are in the West Midlands with seven
:07:41. > :07:46.in Birmingham. My own feeling is we are scratching the surface of the
:07:47. > :07:49.problem and more needs to be done. From our experience, we see a lot
:07:50. > :07:55.more people falling into fuel poverty. Labour says the region has
:07:56. > :08:03.particular problems which makes them back of higher fuel prices worse.
:08:04. > :08:09.There are more disabled people in the West Midlands. There are
:08:10. > :08:19.thousands of homes in fuel poverty. They are afraid of being able to
:08:20. > :08:26.keep to their homes in the winter. `` heat. The government says it is
:08:27. > :08:31.doing what it can to help vulnerable people. It says the idea of freezing
:08:32. > :08:45.fuel prices wouldn't solve things. It is not a freeze, it is a , con.
:08:46. > :08:54.Those struggling to top up the meter are hoping for a mild winter.
:08:55. > :08:57.The BBC has learnt that the direct rail link between Shrewsbury to
:08:58. > :09:01.London is due to restart in May next year. The service was lost in 2011
:09:02. > :09:04.when the Wrexham and Shropshire link was ended. But the Office of Rail
:09:05. > :09:07.Regulation has now accepted a joint proposal from Virgin Trains and
:09:08. > :09:12.Network Rail for a weekday and Sunday service. Initially, trains
:09:13. > :09:15.will only run at off`peak times. Andrea Waldeck from Cheltenham today
:09:16. > :09:20.admitted to smuggling 1.5kg of illegal drugs into Indonesia. But
:09:21. > :09:24.the former police community support officer said she'd been forced to
:09:25. > :09:28.carry the crystal meth because of threats to herself, friends and
:09:29. > :09:32.family. She's on trial in Surabaya after being arrested earlier this
:09:33. > :09:37.year. If she's found guilty of the charges against her she faces the
:09:38. > :09:40.death penalty. The chief executive of New Cross
:09:41. > :09:43.Hospital in Wolverhampton has welcomed a new report outlining how
:09:44. > :09:48.accident and emergency services should be changed. David Loughton
:09:49. > :09:51.has already warned that his hospital's A department will
:09:52. > :09:54.struggle to cope with demand this winter and it's already taking 40%
:09:55. > :10:02.more patients than it was designed for.
:10:03. > :10:11.We have 30 more A nurses than last winter, six more A consultants and
:10:12. > :10:14.two more physicians. We are doing the best he can but the department
:10:15. > :10:19.is not big enough to deal with it at the moment. For patients coming year
:10:20. > :10:24.under their own steam, there are lots of alternatives which could be
:10:25. > :10:28.found. There are calls tonight for improved
:10:29. > :10:31.safety measures at a pool in the Malvern Hills where two young men
:10:32. > :10:34.drowned. A coroner recorded verdicts of accidental death on 17`year`old
:10:35. > :10:37.Russell O'Neill and Justas Juzenas, 22. They died within a week of each
:10:38. > :10:41.other while swimming in hot weather over the summer. Our reporter Giles
:10:42. > :10:42.Latcham was at the hearing in Hereford. What was said about
:10:43. > :10:45.safety? The inquest heard evidence about the
:10:46. > :10:49.signs that were in place warning about the dangers of swimming at
:10:50. > :11:00.Gullet Quarry at the time of these separate tragedies in July. The men
:11:01. > :11:06.who died were a Lithuanian national, Justas Juzenas, and Russell O'Neill,
:11:07. > :11:09.a promising young footballer. His family said they believed the signs
:11:10. > :11:13.weren't as prominent and clear as they should have been. They claimed
:11:14. > :11:17.some of them were obscured by vegetation. They were too upset to
:11:18. > :11:27.appear on camera but I spoke to Justas' sister and a representative
:11:28. > :11:35.of the Lithuanian government. Nothing can change this situation.
:11:36. > :11:40.There could be a lot of signs that no one will bring my brother back. I
:11:41. > :11:46.will always love him and this place just will remind me about that.
:11:47. > :11:52.Signs should be put up immediately on the edge of the quarry or
:11:53. > :11:58.anywhere where people go straight from there into the water, saying
:11:59. > :12:01.there is clearly no swimming, dangerous water.
:12:02. > :12:03.So who's responsible for the quarry pool?
:12:04. > :12:06.The area comes under the responsibility of the Conservators,
:12:07. > :12:13.the custodians of the Malvern Hills. Their director attended the inquest
:12:14. > :12:18.and gave evidence. Our thoughts are with the family and
:12:19. > :12:28.friends. This is a difficult time for them. We have commissioned the
:12:29. > :12:39.Royal Society for the prevention of accidents to report on the quarry.
:12:40. > :12:43.The coroner said that cold water contributed to both deaths and was
:12:44. > :12:51.conceivable that more deaths could coroner. `` car there.
:12:52. > :12:54.Thousands of children every year are falling prey to sexual predators,
:12:55. > :12:57.either through social media sites or even introductions from friends.
:12:58. > :12:59.Projects such as street teams in Walsall help youngsters rebuild
:13:00. > :13:02.their lives after they've been targeted. Joan Cummins has been
:13:03. > :13:12.speaking to two young people who, through funding from Children In
:13:13. > :13:17.Need, are learning to trust again. He pretended to be my friend by
:13:18. > :13:23.talking to me in a genuine way that made me feel comfortable. If you
:13:24. > :13:31.hear in the news that a girl is getting groomed by an older man,
:13:32. > :13:38.it's news but you don't hear about a young lad being groomed by an older
:13:39. > :13:47.woman. Many children at risk of sexual exploitation. In Walsall, one
:13:48. > :13:58.charity is trying to help. He tried kissing me and I backed off. It
:13:59. > :14:04.happened when I was 15. She was friendly at the start and then she
:14:05. > :14:14.beat me up every single time without fail. She broke my nose, it
:14:15. > :14:26.disinfected into my eyes, slashed me with a knife. She went, I hate you,
:14:27. > :14:32.I love you. She was promised she wouldn't do it again and it was a
:14:33. > :14:36.mistake. Sexual predators groom boys and girls, pretending to be their
:14:37. > :14:45.friends are for luring them into a cycle of abuse. I felt I couldn't
:14:46. > :14:51.talk to any of my family or anybody. No one really listens to
:14:52. > :14:53.me. I never believe in violence towards a female so I would just
:14:54. > :15:45.take it. Young victims often blame you can donate to children in need
:15:46. > :16:00.by calling the summer. Our top story tonight: Unemployment
:16:01. > :16:03.down in our region for a second quarter in a row, but it's still
:16:04. > :16:06.above the national average. Your detailed weather forecast to
:16:07. > :16:09.come shortly from Rebecca. Also in tonight's programme: The
:16:10. > :16:11.seasickness sufferer who decided to swim the length of Britain. We ask
:16:12. > :16:15.him why. And how Scott's work with Mencap has
:16:16. > :16:23.earned him a nomination for a Midlands Sports award.
:16:24. > :16:27.It's a big night of European football at St Andrew's with
:16:28. > :16:30.Birmingham City Ladies in action. They're aiming for a place in the
:16:31. > :16:33.quarterfinals of the Champions League, taking on the Russian side
:16:34. > :16:36.Zorkiy Krasnogorsk. Our sports editor Nick Clitheroe is there now.
:16:37. > :16:44.Nick, it seems incredible they're playing on their home turf for the
:16:45. > :16:53.first time? Incredible. They were formed in 1969
:16:54. > :16:59.but it is the first time they will play here. Tonight they are hoping
:17:00. > :17:09.for double the usual crowd of four or 5000. It's been a great couple of
:17:10. > :17:12.seasons for the club. They were FA Cup winners in 2012 and have twice
:17:13. > :17:15.been runners`up in the Super League but this is their chance to make a
:17:16. > :17:19.mark in European football. Training night for the Blues Ladies.
:17:20. > :17:22.There's an extra spring in their step and a smile on their faces.
:17:23. > :17:26.Because this evening, they get the opportunity to play at St Andrew's
:17:27. > :17:29.for the first time. For England international Karen Carney, who
:17:30. > :17:32.joined the club at 11, it's the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition.
:17:33. > :17:39.The last time I was here I was a mascot and I was only allowed on
:17:40. > :17:44.certain parts of the pitch. To have this and all my family they are
:17:45. > :17:49.watching, it would be a dream come true for them and me.
:17:50. > :17:52.But that's not the only incentive tonight. Birmingham are on the
:17:53. > :17:54.threshold of a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions
:17:55. > :17:57.League. Their Russian opponents Zorkiy Krasnogorsk imported players
:17:58. > :18:01.from America to try and boost their hopes but it was Blues who won
:18:02. > :18:05.Saturday's first leg 2`0. If you can't win the first ball...
:18:06. > :18:09.They're not taking any chances. Coach Marcus Bignot was taking the
:18:10. > :18:12.players through the good and bad from the first leg before training
:18:13. > :18:19.on Monday. No`one wants to let slip this golden opportunity. We are
:18:20. > :18:22.punching above our weight. We are competing against millions of pounds
:18:23. > :18:29.worth of investment across the continent. To get where we have is a
:18:30. > :18:34.minor miracle in itself. It would be monumental to get to the
:18:35. > :18:39.quarterfinal. I remember when we were playing in a park using cars
:18:40. > :18:42.for lights and now we are playing at St Andrew's, it is a massive
:18:43. > :18:46.achievement to how far the women's game has come.
:18:47. > :18:50.With fans able to pay on the gate at St Andrew's tonight, the club are
:18:51. > :18:52.hoping to set a new record crowd as well.
:18:53. > :19:01.And there's full match commentary on BBC WM this evening, from 7pm.
:19:02. > :19:11.Joining me is the Chief Executive of Birmingham ladies. We need to keep
:19:12. > :19:21.them focused on the game but this is another and has to accept. We need
:19:22. > :19:31.to finish the job after winning 2`0. Last season you threw away a 2`goal
:19:32. > :19:40.lead. We need to get over that tonight and get that extra goal.
:19:41. > :19:46.Plenty of players have family and friends tonight. It's nice to see
:19:47. > :19:55.and it's a good family atmosphere here. It is great to be here. You
:19:56. > :20:00.have to wait until March for the next round if you go through. 22nd
:20:01. > :20:05.and 29th of March for the next round. There is a lot of organising
:20:06. > :20:10.to stage a quarterfinal so we will need that time to do it. We finished
:20:11. > :20:16.our season and this is tagged on the end so we need a bit of a break, to
:20:17. > :20:24.be honest. A big night for Birmingham City Ladies.
:20:25. > :20:27.You may have heard about our next guest ` it's a memorable story. Sean
:20:28. > :20:32.Conway from Cheltenham became the first person to swim the length of
:20:33. > :20:35.the UK when he finally made land in John O'Groats on Monday. It took him
:20:36. > :20:43.135 days to swim around 900 miles with an estimated three million
:20:44. > :20:49.strokes. He's here with me now. Congratulations. Why would you put
:20:50. > :20:57.yourself through this challenge? I don't know. One reason was that I
:20:58. > :21:03.was told it couldn't be done. I'm a bit storm so I wanted to prove them
:21:04. > :21:05.wrong. To be fair, there wasn't many an occasion where are those people
:21:06. > :21:12.were almost right but I managed to push through and although I was two
:21:13. > :21:23.and a half month 's law, IFN shall got there. `` I eventually got
:21:24. > :21:29.there. My crew stayed for a lot longer than I'd hoped. Thanks to
:21:30. > :21:37.them. It is a magnificent beard you have. It had a practical use, didn't
:21:38. > :21:45.it? There are loads of jellyfish in the Irish Sea and I realised I
:21:46. > :21:56.wasn't getting stung where the beard was so it helped to protect from
:21:57. > :22:05.jellyfish. What was the worst thing? I suffer from seasickness quite
:22:06. > :22:11.badly so myself and most of the crew weren't very well on the second day.
:22:12. > :22:18.I got over it in the middle and I got seasick at the end again because
:22:19. > :22:24.it was quite rough in Scotland. We might spare people the details if
:22:25. > :22:27.they are eating their tea. So you did this for charity and it isn't
:22:28. > :22:35.the first time you have done something like this. What is next? I
:22:36. > :22:41.would like to run the length of Africa. I think it would take the
:22:42. > :22:48.final box of something. I have done a long cycle and a long swim. I
:22:49. > :22:54.would like to run the length of the UK and I might do that next summer.
:22:55. > :22:59.And taking a few months of two recover.
:23:00. > :23:02.Sport can be a great way of meeting new people and improving confidence.
:23:03. > :23:05.Tonight's nominee for the Newcomer Of The Year at the West Midlands
:23:06. > :23:08.Community Sports Awards is doing just that at Midland Mencap. Kevin
:23:09. > :23:20.Reide joined them for football training.
:23:21. > :23:25.37`year`old Scot from Birmingham has a learning difficulty but it hasn't
:23:26. > :23:30.stopped him from getting into sport. He is a relative newcomer but has
:23:31. > :23:39.become captain of Midland Mencap. They listen to me. We get better
:23:40. > :23:44.every time we play. Taking part in things and being part of a team
:23:45. > :23:49.means an awful lot to him. Regardless of the sport or their
:23:50. > :23:54.setting, he enjoys people's company and sport is a brilliant outlet for
:23:55. > :24:05.that to happen. Tuesday is training and Scott helps runs the sessions.
:24:06. > :24:14.He is really friendly. He is a good captain. He is really good and we
:24:15. > :24:17.have a laugh. People who know him say that football has boosted his
:24:18. > :24:23.confidence and help to bring him out of his shell. He also plays netball,
:24:24. > :24:29.tennis and cricket. I enjoy being with all my friends and doing the
:24:30. > :24:41.exercises and being involved and playing football. Having good fun.
:24:42. > :24:53.It might just be a `` it is not just a football session. It has a very
:24:54. > :24:57.positive influence. Mencap say he is simply a great role model to many
:24:58. > :25:00.others with learning disabilities. Rebecca warned us yesterday we'd be
:25:01. > :25:06.in for a frosty start today. Same again on Thursday?
:25:07. > :25:16.Not quite. Don't put your warm clothes away yet. It will be milder
:25:17. > :25:24.tonight but just for a short period. It was a beautiful day today. This
:25:25. > :25:29.was the scene this morning. Thank you for your pictures. It won't look
:25:30. > :25:34.quite as beautiful tomorrow because it will be a little overcast. Cloud
:25:35. > :25:42.is moving into night and that will help temperatures stay higher. But
:25:43. > :25:48.winds are picking up and changing direction so it will feel colder
:25:49. > :25:53.tomorrow. There is a band of cloud approaching us too much of the
:25:54. > :25:57.afternoon. We may see some rain and the blanket of cloud isn't really
:25:58. > :26:04.going anywhere tonight. Some rain across northern and western parts of
:26:05. > :26:16.the region but most places will stay dry overnight. We have got a wind
:26:17. > :26:21.direction change so it is going to be picking up as we move through
:26:22. > :26:27.tonight into tomorrow morning. We start off with a rain in some places
:26:28. > :26:34.but it will eventually dry out. It is going to feel cold, though. The
:26:35. > :26:42.winds will take the edge off the temperatures. Through tomorrow
:26:43. > :26:50.afternoon the showers will eventually die out and it will be
:26:51. > :27:00.another cool night. The possibility of a touch of ground frost on
:27:01. > :27:05.Friday. It will stay settled for the weekend. On Friday we will see the
:27:06. > :27:20.sun at times but cloud will start to fill in. Saturday is looking
:27:21. > :27:22.cloudier and more rain on Sunday. Tonight's headlines: Unemployment
:27:23. > :27:26.down in our region for a second quarter in a row, but it's still
:27:27. > :27:29.above the national average. That was Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:30. > :27:31.back at 10pm, including the result from St Andrew's. Have a great
:27:32. > :27:34.evening. Goodbye.