100 signatures reached
To: Employment Minister Mark Hoban
North West TUC Charter for Young People
A Job Guarantee: The Government should guarantee paid work or training to every young person who has been out of work for six months or more.
Action on Apprenticeships: All public bodies should commit to recruiting a set number of apprentices each year. Public sector contracts should encourage contractors to have a quality apprenticeship scheme.
Quality Work Experience: Young people should have access to good quality work experience that includes a guarantee of both quality training and a job interview at the end of any placement.
Welfare Reform: In the short-term, the Government should reform the rules on Jobseeker’s Allowance to allow young people to return to full time education without any loss of benefits. In the longer term, we need a Youth Credit (or other financial support) to help all young people boost both their learning and employment prospects.
Practical support: We need extra measures to help young people stay in education and assist with transport costs to enable young people to travel to work.
Why is this important?
Austerity and recession are destroying employment opportunities all over the region.
More than 64,000 young people, aged 18-24, are now out of work in the North West. There are 149,000 young people who are not in Education, Employment and Training (NEETs).
With one in five young people jobless, many are being forced to take unskilled, part-time, temporary work, unpaid internships or work experience. Others simply become detached from society.
Meanwhile, the abolition of the Educational Maintenance Allowance and increases in tuition fees are preventing thousands from gaining qualifications and new skills for the job market.
Urgent action must be taken to give the young people of the North West a future that works.
Taking positive action to help our young people will demand commitment, determination and real resources from Government, employers and trade unions.
The North West TUC pledges to play its part. We urge MPs, local councillors, employers and others to sign up here – and pledge to take practical and immediate action to give young people a future that works.
