Government Not Doing Enough to Help Southport's Unemployed Young Adults

Sunday, 03 January 2010

MP John Pugh believes that the Government has failed Southport's young people after the publication of the latest employment figures.

National employment statistics released by the ONS show that over a quarter of people claiming job seekers allowance in Southport are in the 18-24 age range. It also shows that just over 15% of all claimants have been claiming for over a year, above the national average of 12.7%.

"It's easy to dismiss high unemployment as an inevitable consequence of recession," states John Pugh.  "However, when you look at the Government's schemes its obvious the right sort of opportunities are not being created for young people. I am not convinced that young people are being given the skills that will enable them to have a lifetime of work.

"The Future Jobs fund, and the Young Persons Guarantee Scheme, aim to help out of work 18-24 year-olds by offering them 6-month work or training placements. However it doesn't guarantee employment at the end, and it's arguable that six months is simply not adequate time to pick up any skill or profession. They appear to be no more than Government exercises to keep more people off the officially unemployed statistic sheet.

"The Government have ploughed £40 million into these sorts of schemes, but as the figures indicate it's clearly not having that much success.

"Job Centre plus have 705 18-24 year-olds currently on their register in Southport, with the majority of these looking for admin or retail jobs as opposed to professional occupations. They currently operate 'Routes to Work' Programmes, which aim to train people in certain areas such as hospitality, retail and care. However, they are only going to begin tailoring these programmes to local recruitment drives next year.

"Failure to revitalise training and opportunities for young people could lead to a generation of people who have had an education, but are unable to find a career until much later in life. This has all sorts of social implications. Not least that more young people will be forced to live in their family homes for longer."