Wales Office
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Paul Murphy welcomes Future Jobs Funding for young jobseekers in Wales
Around 7,500 jobs could be created for under-25s in Wales as part of a new £1 billion UK-wide initiative, Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy said yesterday.
Welcoming details of the new Future Jobs Funding scheme from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Mr Murphy said the new fund will provide funding for around 150,000 jobs or work-focused training across the UK. It is aimed at the young and disadvantaged before they reach the 12 month stage of a Jobseekers Allowance claim.
Mr Murphy said: “The Future Jobs Fund, unveiled in last week’s Budget, will apply in Wales with the DWP working in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government. It has the potential to help thousands of young Welsh jobseekers by providing around £50 million of additional support.
“The fund will focus on providing real help now to jobseekers and other people on benefits who would otherwise be unable to find work. It’s important we offer a helping hand to everyone looking for work - and it is exactly the right thing to be doing in these difficult times.”
Mr Murphy added: “We are working together with the Welsh Assembly Government to do all we can to make sure more people, particularly those aged 18-24 who have been unemployed for around a year, are able to take up new jobs or training opportunities. This means that young and disadvantaged people do not fall behind when it comes to employment.
“I hope Welsh local authorities and other relevant organisations will be active in bidding for the new funding.”
Organisations will be invited to bid for funding from the Future Jobs Fund through the DWP. Bids will need to be in line with existing locally agreed work and skills strategies and show that they do not replicate or replace existing jobs. Other large organisations such as social enterprises and voluntary sector bodies will be able to bid as long as their proposals meet the criteria set out during the bidding process.
Funding will be allocated from this autumn on a rolling basis throughout the following 18 months, at least until spring 2011. Each job created must last for a minimum of six months.
