Over 150 British employers have thrown their weight behind Backing Young Britain, a national campaign to create new opportunities for thousands of young people during the recession.
Government and employers are pledging an extra 85,000 opportunities for young people. These range from Morrisons pledging new training for every one of its 36,000 employees under the age of 25, to Government providing help to get 45,000 young people into jobs in retail, tourism, leisure, and hospitality.
There are also 5,000 new opportunities, including apprenticeships from companies such as Centrica, Carillion, and Royal Mail. Other employers pledging support include Microsoft, Bovis Lendlease, Pfizer, and Phones4U.
In July, the Government announced the first 47,000 jobs from the £1bn Future Jobs Fund, which will create 100,000 new jobs targeted at young people.
The Government also announced 45,000 new training and support opportunities to help young people move into sectors that need new talent and have jobs to fill including hospitality, leisure, tourism and retail. In the last three months, over 70,000 vacancies were notified to Jobcentre Plus in retail alone, and the Government is working with industry to make sure young people get the chance to take up more of these jobs.
Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson said: “Today’s package of support for young people is a win-win situation for everyone. The benefits will be felt by the person who gets a foot on the employment ladder, the business gets a new addition to the team, and the country as a whole.”
“Work experience, offering internships to graduates, and investing in skills and training are vital to equipping young people and businesses with the tools to come out of the downturn in a strong position.”
