More needed to get Britain’s young into work

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:38:37 +0000

Despite billions of pounds being spent each year on benefits and grants much more is needed to help Britain’s young into work, council leaders have warned.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is set to call for radical reforms to the way public money is spent to cut top-down targets and waste so more can be done to help young people who are excluded from the workforce.

The council leaders point to the fact Britain currently has one of the highest rates of teenagers out of work or education compared with other developed nations.

A new study by the LGA, in partnership with the Centre for Social Justice, recommends councils should be the ones to determine who gets Education Maintenance Allowances and decide benefit rules for under-25s in local areas.

The authors of the study state replacing national programmes of benefit and support would cut bureaucracy and as a result the money could be targeted to reach those who would take best advantage of it.

Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, is due to say later today: "As children we have dreams of being super-heroes, actors or astronauts – no child dreams of becoming unemployed with few prospects or qualifications.

"As a former teacher I know how it feels to look out at each expectant face in a new class at the start of term and know that, for some of our young people, that is what the future holds.

"To have nearly a million of our young people not in any form of education or work is a deeply worrying waste of talent. That’s nearly a million young people stuck in a rut, not able to get on and do something with their lives and not contributing to the economy."

She will add young people around the country are struggling to get their foot on the career leader due to a lack of recruitment with the unemployment rate standing at almost 2.5 million plus the fact they are usually the first to be let go when cuts are made.

"The billions of pounds being paid out each year in benefits is simply money down the drain if ways aren’t found of using that money to help people change their lives for the better," Cllr Eaton will say.

"Very few people want to depend on benefits to support their families or put food on the table, but the current system too often works against them.

"These pots of money can and must have more of an impact on the lives of young people across the country. Councils know where the work opportunities are, and they know what barriers prevent teenagers reaching their full potential in their local areas.

"It is not good enough to have our children grow up in a world where their potential is wasted by a system which doesn’t give them the right support at the right times. Local government has the ideas to put that right, now we need the powers to make that happen."

As well a reform in the way money is allocated, the LGA has also called for an expansion of careers services to provide fully independent guidance based on knowledge of particular areas.

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More needed to get Britain’s young into work