Minister for the East Midlands Phil Hope MP issued a call to action to
businesses and other organisations to give the region’s young people
their “first break”.
That could be an apprenticeship, a work trial, a voluntary place, a work
placement or an internship.
Or, employers could consider bidding for one of the 100,000 jobs available
for young people from the Future Jobs Fund or engage in a Local Employment
Partnership.
Mr Hope has teamed up with JobCentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council,
the National Apprenticeship Service and The Prince’s Trust for the
Backing Young East Midlands campaign.
Backing Young East Midlands will see a programme of activity over the
coming weeks and months to bring more employers forward with opportunities
for young people.
The Minister launched it this morning at engineering company Slack and
Parr, in Kegworth, which has won a string of awards for its work with
apprentices.
Mr Hope said:
“Backing Young East Midlands is a call to action for
organisations in the region to ensure that the fabulous skills and
experience of our talented young people do not go to waste.
“We can help young people fulfil their potential by just giving
them that first break to show what they can do. These are tough
economic times, but we cannot let a generation with so much promise be
lost to unemployment.”
The campaign is part of Backing Young Britain, which has been endorsed by
hundreds of organisations across the country via its website –
www.hmg.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain
Karen Foulds, consumer services director for JobCentre Plus East
Midlands, said:
“We have thousands of employers across the East Midlands now
committed to Local Employment Partnerships with Jobcentre Plus to help
them recruit the right people.
“These plus a wide range of business incentives, including
training and recruitment cash, will give East Midlands jobseekers a
chance to prove their workplace potential.
“And initiatives like Work Trials and Future Jobs Fund can be
especially beneficial for younger people where a limited work record
may be a barrier to getting a first job.”
Karen Woodward, Regional Director for the National Apprenticeship
Service, said:
“In the current economic climate, we’re all working
to a common goal of getting young people in the East Midlands into
employment.
“We need more employers in the region to back young Britain by
giving aspiring apprentices their first break
“Apprenticeships offer the best of both worlds – giving
employers access to a pool of talent that can be shaped to improve
performance and providing young people with a great start in their
chosen career.”
Mir Juma, The Prince’s Trust East Midlands regional director,
said:
“Working together to open up opportunities for young people
will mean we can help many more into work.
“Young people have been disproportionately affected by the
recession so we must act now to stop young people falling out of the
system. Only by doing so can we stop the unemployed becoming the
unemployable.”
