£8.5m To Support Youth Employment

11th February 2012

Further details of how thousands of young people will be helped into employment have been outlined in the Scottish Parliament today.

Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance announced that £8.5 million will be invested in projects to support young people into work. This includes:
£6 million to create 1000 jobs for young people through a continuation of Community Jobs Scotland into 2012-13
£2.5 million towards a challenge fund to support the third sector to work with employers, delivering 800 opportunities for young people.

This investment is the second tranche of funding from the additional £30 million announced in December to tackle youth unemployment throughout Scotland.

Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance said:"I want to make sure that as many of our young people as possible are in jobs or on the road to employment. This Government has already made a significant commitment to make this a reality by guaranteeing a place in learning or training for every 16-19 year old.

"Today, our drive to ensure young people can fulfil their potential and avoid the trap of long-term unemployment steps up a pace.

"I am pleased to say, that having already provided £1.5 million to assist young carers and care leavers to find employment over the next three years, Community Jobs Scotland will continue into 2012/13 to create 1000 jobs for young people, supported by £6 million funding.

"The third sector and social enterprises are well placed to assist unemployed young people. That is why we are also opening up a £2.5 million challenge fund for such organisations working in tandem with employers to support young people from all backgrounds.

"Today's announcement follows extensive consultation with the private, public, third sector bodies and, of course, young people themselves, not least at last week's National Economic Forum, the first to look exclusively at youth employment.

"That is a dialogue that will continue as we consider options for the remaining funding available to support the Opportunities for All fund. This builds on investment of over £1.5 billion a year we already spend on supporting young people over 16 through a range of activity around the country aimed at improving their life chances."

Community Jobs Scotland has been extended following a one year pilot, and is delivered by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation (SCVO) and Social Enterprise Scotland (SES) in partnership with the Scottish Government.

The Third Sector has committed to working with the Government to deliver a programme which offers the following for 2012/13:
An opportunity for unemployed people to be given a training opportunity in the third sector for a minimum of 6 months which would allow them to make a contribution to their communities
1,000 young people with six month contracts of 25 hours or more per week, for at least the minimum wage
Enhancement of longer term job prospects for participants through concrete job experience
Job specific training
Additional training which enhances the participant's wider prospects of securing a permanent job
Support for the third sector as it seeks to continue to deliver services to communities across Scotland.

The scheme is open to those who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. The additional £30 million was first announced in December 1, 2011.