Monday 16 March 2009

CfBT REPORT CALLS FOR ‘JOBS AND SKILLS’ PACKAGE TARGETED AT 16 AND 17 YEAR OLDS IN THE BUDGET


A report published by CfBT Education Trust today calls upon the Chancellor to fund a ‘Jobs and Skills’ package for 16-17 year olds as part of his April Budget but to reject calls to raise the participation age to 18 - or even 17 - from this September.

The report Raising the Participation Age: Keeping it on track by Mark Corney argues that a Jobs and Skills Package specifically targeted at 16 and 17-year olds is critical if current and future governments are to achieve the twin aims of increasing participation in education and training, and preventing mass youth unemployment. 

The report calls for a package for around 100,000 16-17 year olds at a cost of at least £0.6bn a year including the cost of financial support as well as provision. The ten-point package includes recommendations to:

  • Offer golden hello wage subsidies for employers recruiting 16-17 year olds in jobs with or without employer funded training
  • Increase the value of Education Maintenance Allowances above £30 per week for 16 and 17 year olds and premium paid to 17 year olds in full-time education and unwaged training eligible for Education Maintenance Allowances
  • Fund a new Youth Skills Programme for 16-17 year olds offering programme-led work-based learning

John Harwood, Chairman of CfBT Education Trust said “We are greatly concerned that young people are in danger of bearing the brunt of this recession and in particular that 16 and 17 year olds facing unemployment are the forgotten group of this recession.  Long term unemployment for young people has a seriously corrosive effect on our future economic performance.     Increasing the compulsory school leaving age to 18 - or even 17 – is impractical at this short notice and will not resolve the issue of looming mass youth unemployment.  A government strategy is needed which will avoid 16 and 17 year olds losing their jobs wherever possible and expand education and skills provision to minimise long term youth unemployment.”

 

 Ends

 

Notes for Editors:

The Ten Point 16-17 Jobs and Skills Plan appears below.  To request a copy of the full report please contact Lindsay Blamires mailto:lblamires@cfbt.com

CfBT Education Trust is a leading education consultancy and service organisation. Our object is to provide education for public benefit both in the UK and internationally. Established 40 years ago CfBT Education Trust now has an annual turnover exceeding £100 million and employs more than 2,000 staff worldwide who support educational reform, teach, advise, research and train.

As a not-for-profit organisation we commit a percentage of our surpluses every year for practice-based educational research. Visit http://www.cfbt.com/ for more information.


For more information contact:

Lindsay Blamires
Marketing Communications Officer
CfBT Education Trust
60 Queens Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 4BS
Tel: 0118 902 1841
mailto:lblamires@cfbt.com
http://www.cfbt.com/

Ten Point 16-17 Jobs and Skills Plan

Maintaining jobs for 16-17 year olds not in full-time education

1. Offer golden hello wage subsidies for employers recruiting 16-17 year olds in jobs with or without employer funded training

2. Delay applying the 16-17 rate of the National Minimum Wage to waged-based apprentices

3. Develop closer links between Connexions and Jobcentre Plus with 16-17 year olds becoming a priority group for Jobcentre Plus

Increase participation in jobs with training by 16-17 year olds

4. Allocate a specific proportion of the additional 35,000 places for employer-based apprenticeships to 16-17 employer-based apprenticeships including wage subsidies to support small firms taking on 16-17 apprentices, and allocate golden hello wage subsidies and training for organisations offering 16-17 year olds Jobs with Employer Funded Training to turn in-house training into accredited training

5. National roll-out of Learning Agreements with wage compensation for time off for study given the recession alongside the national roll-out of Activity Agreements to assist long-term 16-17 year old NEETs find jobs with training, access other support whilst receiving EMA-style allowances 

Increase participation in full-time education by 16-17 year olds

6. Increase the value of Education Maintenance Allowances above £30 per week for 16 and 17 year olds and premium paid to 17 year olds in full-time education and unwaged training eligible for Education Maintenance Allowances

7. Support FE colleges to develop a communication strategy to encourage 16 year olds in college today to stay-on until 17, and to inform 15 year olds in schools that college places are available

8. Support FE colleges to develop a communication strategy to persuade 16 year olds in FE colleges today undertaking vocational Level 2 courses to stay-on at 17 and undertake vocational Level 3 courses

Increase participation in un-waged training by 16-17 year olds

9. Fund a new Youth Skills Programme for 16-17 year olds offering programme-led work-based learning

10. Expand pre-employment, E2E and Entry to Learning provision