Youth Unemployment Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Jim McMahon
Main Page: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)Department Debates - View all Jim McMahon's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Pat McFadden
Once again, the Liberal Democrats speak against the prioritisation of youth. We are for training throughout the system and throughout the age range, but we have to make a decision about where to prioritise it with a public budget. I have unashamedly made the decision to prioritise young people, and I think that is the right thing to do.
Jim McMahon (Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) (Lab/Co-op)
Happy St Patrick’s day to the House and to all across the country.
The Secretary of State is absolutely to committed to this agenda, and that comes across in not just his words, but the action that has been announced today. May I highlight the vacancy period for apprenticeships? Only 16% of vacancies in England are advertised in the two months when young people are leaving school and going into the summer break. That means that many are waiting for months and months to even get the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship, and that is contributing to the NEET figures that he cares about so passionately. Can we at least address that issue in the public sector so that most apprenticeships are advertised when young people are finishing their exams and leaving school?
Pat McFadden
Let me return the greeting of a happy St Patrick’s day to my hon. Friend.
My hon. Friend makes an absolutely vital point about information. When I talk to young people, they tell me that when they are at school, there is a lot of information about how to apply for a university course. That is great, and it is a great route for young people, but the information on how to apply for an apprenticeship is not as clear; it is not readily available to them or as much a part of the preparation process that many schools put young people through. There is a job of work to be done on information, because we want the clearest, most user-friendly information possible to be available to young people and their parents when making such a vital decision about their future.