Ray Auvray, the head of a top UK provider of employment, education and training services for young people, today urged the government to adopt a four point action plan to tackle record youth unemployment.
Mr Auvray, who is executive chairman of Prospects, said the 1.02 million jobless 16 to 24-year-olds was an “appalling statistic.”
“But more than that, it represents a real tragedy for the young people and their families, who face the depressing prospect of months – and in some cases, years - of fruitless job seeking and frustration. It also represents a real cost to the nation’s economy.”
He urged the Government to adopt a Four-Point Action Plan to reduce the jobless total:
1 A new face-to-face guidance service for all 16-25 year-olds, focusing on work and training
2 Opening up the government’s Work Programme to young people from the age of 16, as soon as they register
3 A youth employment subsidy to encourage small and medium sized employers to take on additional young people
4 A new graduate traineeship programme similar to the National Apprenticeship Scheme.
Mr Auvray said: “The Government must take immediate action to get these young people into work and training. Otherwise we shall have a lost generation outside the labour market, not contributing to their communities or to the country’s economy.”
“Such a programme would reverse the sharp upward trend in NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) numbers and enable a whole generation to make a satisfactory start to their working lives.
“Doing nothing is not an option. The Coalition Government has shown great determination in introducing new initiatives like the Work Programme. We now need a work programme for young people.”
Prospects delivers the Work Programme, the Government’s new initiative to help long term unemployed people back to work, in the South West and East London. Currently, with our help, customers take an average time of 41 days, or just under 6 weeks to find work.
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