Work and Pensions Committee Concern for Future Jobs Fund 
Today the Work and Pensions Committee published a report into the abolition of the Future Jobs Fund. The £1billion fund was set-up by the previous Labour government to help create and support 150, 000 jobs for young people.
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The Committee has made 23 recommendations for a stable and sustainable transition from the Future Jobs Fund to the Work Programme next year. These include greater steps to protect those young people most at risk from long-term unemployment for whom apprenticeships are not the answer:
“We are concerned that apprenticeships may not be the most suitable route into employment for those young people at the highest risk of long-term unemployment. These young people may have left school with no qualifications, have no experience of work, or have difficult family circumstances, and in some cases they may not be ready to start an apprenticeship. We are keen to ensure that alternative provision (for example, personal support, training and work opportunities) should be available to help those who are not ready for an apprenticeship.”
The Fund formed part of the Young Person’s Guarantee that ensured anyone between the ages of 18-24 who had been looking for employment for over a year would be offered a job, work experience, or training for a minimum of six months. 15, 000 of these jobs were expected to be social enterprises. Employment levels in the UK have fallen by 0.1% over the last quarter, according to the most recent report published by Office of National Statistics in December. The decrease equates to 33, 000 more people over the age of 16 who have not be able to find employment between August 2010 to October 2010.
Read more here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmworpen/472/47202.htm
Website: Parliament UK
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmworpen/472/47213.htm
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=12
Published on 21st December, 2010
