Ministers to create thousands of public sector jobs for young people

29 Jul 09
The government is to create 47,000 public sector jobs in a bid to prevent another generation of unemployable young people emerging from the recession
By Alex Klaushofer

29 July 2009

The government is to create 47,000 public sector jobs in a bid to prevent another generation of unemployable young people emerging from the recession.

The jobs, which will include positions as carers, teaching assistants and sports coaches, will be targeted at 18 to 24-year-olds who have been out of work for more than a year.

Under the scheme, councils and charities will be able to bid for public money from the £1bn Future Jobs Fund, announced in the April Budget, to create ‘socially useful jobs’.

The creation of the 47,000 jobs at a cost of £300m is the first part of a scheme aiming to create 150,000 jobs over the next two years. It comes as part of a government campaign called Backing Young Britain, which urges employers to give every young person a job, training or work experience.

The scheme will also fund 10,000 internships for 18 to 21-year-olds who have not been to university, as well as job clubs and a mentoring network. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also launched a website advertising internships available to graduates.

Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘We are determined not to lose a generation of talent because of the recession. Many young people were denied the help they needed in the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, ending up out of work for months and years. Too many never got a start in the jobs market.  We are determined not to let that happen again.’

In Scotland, the first of nearly 3,000 jobs created by councils and funded by the scheme are due to start in October.

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