14 January 2000
'The New Deal has been a success in reducing long-term youth unemployment,' maintained employment minister Tessa Jowell on January 11. 'However, there are still significant numbers of people on New Deal whose most serious barrier to employment is their lack of basic skills.
'Four out of ten people cannot even read instructions on a medicine bottle. Helping them is part of a ten-point plan to build on the progress of New Deal.'
The revamped scheme will include a compulsory two-week course in presentation to ensure young jobseekers can present themselves well to employers, and job coaches to offer support to the long-term unemployed to make the transition back into work.
'We will also be developing outreach programmes using intermediary organisations to help people in areas of high unemployment, deprived neighbourhoods and people from ethnic minority backgrounds,' said Jowell.
PFjan2000
