Help for 16 and 17 year olds to catch up, keep up and find work
27 May 2014 03:08 PM
Jobcentre Plus, in partnership with local authorities,
to help 16 and 17 year olds to catch up, keep up and find
work.
For
the first time ever Jobcentre Plus, in partnership with local authorities, will
implement a new approach that focuses support solely on 16-17 year olds who are
not in education, employment or training and not in receipt of an income-based
benefit.
From today, 16 and 17-year-olds will be given access to
Jobcentre work coaches so that they can get individual help to find work and
training, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Employment Minister Esther McVey
have announced today.
The
trained work coaches will help young people navigate the wide array of services
on offer and tap into local employment and training opportunities. If
successful, this new way of helping young people will be rolled out across
England.
The
number of 16 and 17 year olds who are not in education or training is now at
the lowest level since records began, with 94% either working, studying or
training.
Hundreds of young people could benefit as the first part
of the initiative launches today in Lewisham, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and
Sheffield. Work coaches in Jobcentres will give one-to-one help from CV
writing, interview skills, providing access to training or job
matching.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
As
our economy gets stronger, we need to make sure that every single young person
shares in the recovery and gets help to reach their potential.
For
the first time 16 and 17-year-olds who need help to find work or training will
have access to Jobcentres where they will get tailored support from a work
coach.
We
need to do all we can to help them gain essential skills for work so they can
play their part in securing Britain’s long term success, building a
stronger economy and fairer society for this generation and the
next.
This radical new pilot will give young people additional
support from Jobcentre work coaches, who will use their local expertise and
employer networks to help reduce young people’s chances of becoming
long-term unemployed. The plan will see Jobcentres join forces with local
authorities, employers, charities and local community organisations to provide
access to all the best opportunities for young people.
Minister for Employment Esther McVey
said:
Every young person deserves the best chance in life so
they can secure their future. Youth unemployment is falling and the economy is
growing, so as part of the government’s long-term economic plan we need
to make sure every young person gets the help they need to benefit from the
improving jobs market.
Jobcentre work coaches have a huge amount of expertise,
experience and local labour market knowledge, and we want to use that to help
young people get their foot in the door to the career they want. Together with
local authorities, employers and charity groups we want to make sure that young
people, from all walks of life, have got the networks, the role models and the
confidence to succeed in the growing economy.
Every young person is different, so the support they
receive will be uniquely tailored to them. Jobcentre work coaches have a huge
amount of expertise and have seen great success supporting over 18s into work,
which is why this system is being trialled for young people.
Support on offer through Jobcentre work coaches could
include work experience, work taster courses, pre-apprenticeship support and
meeting with employers to get a window into a wide variety of sectors and
roles. They could also help with employability and work preparation, training
focusing on career aspirations and team building. If needed, they’ll also
work with organisations like the Prince’s Trust and other providers to
ensure young people can get valuable skills and experience.
The
number of unemployed young people fell by 48,000 in the last 3 months, and has
been falling now for the last 8 months. It is down by 75,000 since 2010 and
youth unemployment excluding those in full-time education is now at its lowest
level since 2008.
More information
The
Deputy Prime Minister announced this pilot in a speech in February
Currently, in rare circumstances, some disadvantaged
16-17 year olds who are claiming benefits are helped by Jobcentre Plus. This
pilot is for 16-17 year olds not participating in education, employment or
training (NEET) who are not claiming benefits. Participation on the pilot will
be completely voluntary.
The
pilot will run for up to 18 months and will be extended in the autumn to
include a further 25 local authorities.
NEET figures
released last week showed that 94.2% of 16 and 17-year-olds are
participating in education and training, the highest comparable participation
rate since consistent records began in 2001.
These pilots build on the offer to young people through
the 16-17 year oldYouth Contract, which
specifically targets young people who are NEET and who are considered
to be disengaged or hardest to reach and support them into education, training
or a job with training.
Media enquiries for this press release – 0203 267
5117
Contact Press Office
Follow DWP on: