Gordon Birtwistle & Burnley Liberal Democrats

Posts Tagged ‘Vince cable’

Business leaders have backed the £1bn Youth Contract, announced by Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg in November, which aims to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

In Burnley and Padiham, 875 18 to 24-year-olds are currently in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and would stand to benefit from the Youth Contract.

Britain’s four biggest employer organisations, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), have formally backed the Youth Contract and will also urge their members to back the initiative.

Starting next April, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24 year olds into work over the next three years. This includes 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.

A new programme to will help 16 and 17 year olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). This will help the most disengaged of these 26,000 in the North West get back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.

In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices in England.

Commenting, Gordon Birtwistle MP said:

“Youth unemployment is an economic waste and a slow-burn social disaster. If young people are out of work, the consequences of that will be felt for decades afterwards. We need to ensure young people do not have a false start.

“That is why it is excellent news that Britain’s four biggest employer organisations are backing the scheme. I look forward to working with local employers to make sure the Youth Contract is a success so that we won’t lose the skills and talent of our young people – right when we need them most.

“As a Liberal Democrat, I am proud that the Coalition Government is working with business to do the right thing to prevent another lost generation.”

Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said:

“Supporting people into work is my priority for 2012 and helping young people get proper lasting jobs is especially important.

“The Youth Contract will make sure every unemployed young person starts earning or learning again before long term damage is done.

“But government can’t do this alone, we need businesses to play their part too. That’s why the support of the Confederation of British
Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, British Retail Consortium and Federation of Small Businesses is such good news.”

Gordon Birtwistle, newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Burnley continued to press the Government about apprenticeships during a debate on ‘Building a High Skilled Economy’.

Drawing on his experience as an engineering apprentice 50 years ago, and as leader of Burnley Council in trying to attract high-skill jobs to Burnley, Gordon highlighted the need to invest in new developments and in the people to deliver them.

Following the debate he said, “The last Government had this idea that over 50% of young people should go to university, this has meant that there is now a dearth of well qualified young people who have been trained through apprenticeships for hands on jobs such as manufacturing. Quite often big jobs are sent abroad as we can’t supply enough skilled labourers, I want to see apprenticeships and vocational college courses become as highly regarded as the top university degrees and think that the young people of Burnley deserve the opportunity to have plenty of options to chose from when leaving school.’

Gordon Birtwistle has also been speaking to newly appointed Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable about the apprenticeships scheme and is due to meet the Apprenticeship Director of the Business & Skills Department at the end of the month to discuss how the apprenticeships will be delivered in Burnley.