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19/09/2012
MPs Committee Says Youth Contract 'Insufficient'
A group of MPs have said that the government's youth contract is not enough to tackle the scale of youth unemployment.
The youth contract provides £1bn for a range of schemes aimed at getting young people into work, but the Work and Pensions Select Committee said the contract was "a good start" but alone would not be enough "to address the current unacceptably high level of youth unemployment".
The youth contract brings together £1bn of funding for a number of schemes, up until 2015, to help get young people into work.
Measures include providing 160,000 employers with a "wage incentive" of £2,275 to take on an unemployed 18-24 year-olds, 250,000 work experience placements and additional support from Jobcentre Plus.
If all targets are met, the contract is expected to create an additional 430,000 work opportunities over the next three years.
Dame Anne Begg, chair of the MP committee said: "Some of the measures in the youth contract have been shown to be effective but they will only make a significant impact if all the targets are met.
"Our concern is that there is a real risk that the government will fall short of its more eye-catching targets.
"In particular, past experience shows that 160,000 wage incentives is a very ambitious target in the current economic climate.
"And 250,000 additional work experience placements for young people may also be unrealistic."
(H)
The youth contract provides £1bn for a range of schemes aimed at getting young people into work, but the Work and Pensions Select Committee said the contract was "a good start" but alone would not be enough "to address the current unacceptably high level of youth unemployment".
The youth contract brings together £1bn of funding for a number of schemes, up until 2015, to help get young people into work.
Measures include providing 160,000 employers with a "wage incentive" of £2,275 to take on an unemployed 18-24 year-olds, 250,000 work experience placements and additional support from Jobcentre Plus.
If all targets are met, the contract is expected to create an additional 430,000 work opportunities over the next three years.
Dame Anne Begg, chair of the MP committee said: "Some of the measures in the youth contract have been shown to be effective but they will only make a significant impact if all the targets are met.
"Our concern is that there is a real risk that the government will fall short of its more eye-catching targets.
"In particular, past experience shows that 160,000 wage incentives is a very ambitious target in the current economic climate.
"And 250,000 additional work experience placements for young people may also be unrealistic."
(H)
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