1,000 jobs created for the young unemployed in Leicestershire
More than £3m is being pumped into the economy to create 1,000 jobs for young unemployed people in Leicestershire.
The cash will create positions lasting six months for hundreds of young people, offering them valuable on-the-job training.
The jobs, for 18 to 24-year-olds, will largely involve working for councils around the city and county.
There will also be paid work in 80 not-for-profit organisations and charities.
The positions will range from library assistants and youth workers to gardeners and bike mechanics.
They are being created after the Government announced it was pledging around £3,045,000 to Leicestershire as part of its Future Jobs Fund initiative.
Around 8,600 people in Leicestershire aged 18 to 24 are currently on Jobseeker's Allowance.
Although the posts will only be funded for six months, the Government hopes the short-term jobs will continue after its money runs out.
But the cash will only pay for the young people to work for around 25 hours a week – and most of the jobs will be on the minimum wage.
The scheme is being led by Leicester City Council but the posts will be open to people all over the county. Jobcentre Plus will be responsible for filling them.
City council regeneration spokesman Councillor Patrick Kitterick said: "The jobs we plan to create cover a wide range of skills and interests and are positions that local organisations have told us they need.
"This is a huge boost for the local economy.
"It will enable 1,000 young people to enter the world of work, and get on-the-job training and experience that will really boost their long-term employment prospects."
Charnwood Tory MP Stephen Dorrell said: "Providing this is targeted at people who have been unemployed for a certain period of time and have been finding it hard to get back to work, then I think it is a sensible policy.
"But the jobs must add proper value to the recipients."
Leicester West Labour MP Patricia Hewitt said: "This is going to provide a really valuable opportunity for people who would otherwise be unemployed to get back to work."
But there were mixed reactions outside the city's Jobcentres.
Jobseeker Leon Goodwin, 19, who lives in a bed and breakfast in Narborough Road, Leicester, said: "I think it's good. I'll do any job to get the money coming in – I've got a kid on the way. I've been looking for a job since I was 16 but you need qualifications to do anything."
Jeremy Townsend, 22, from Woodgate, Leicester, said: "Minimum wage isn't much use when I've got bills to pay. It'll mostly benefit people who live with their parents."
Another jobseeker said: "It will obviously get more people out of the dole queues between now and the general election."
New figures show 24,885 people in the city and county were out of work in September – up 75 in the city and down 447 in the county.
Max Boden, policy manager at Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said some jobs had been created by universities and schools for the new term, and shops had begun taking on staff for Christmas.
5 Comments
by Daniel, Leicester
Thursday, October 15 2009, 2:44PM
“Isnt this like sticking a band aid over a collapsing dam! in 6 months time there will just be another 1000 jobless again. And if these positions dont create profit or even support their own roles why do it? I think you could build these young peoples hopes up with regular income for six months where I am sure some NOT ALL will take out credit cards, loans, maybe even move into rented accommodation etc 6 months can feel like a lifetime when your younger. This doesnt sound sensible to me at all.”
by Nick DiPerna (don't be fooled by cheap imitations), West End
Thursday, October 15 2009, 1:04PM
“The Labour party love poor people. That¿s why they make as many as possible. They've suicidally penalised the productive ¿ in favour of the non productive ¿ in their attempts to engineer ever increasing numbers of the latter. They've made constant efforts to over-regulate our businesses, making them uncompetetive and forcing them to outsource and migrate to Asia. They've abused the ignorance of the voter ¿ taking advantage of the supposed concern for ¿public services¿ to launch a Socialist drive to massively increase state employment ¿ a sanitised mirror image of Labour¿s 60¿s and 70¿s policy of throwing money at nationalised industries.
They've embarked on a massive and expensive expansion of politics ¿ creating boundless more employment opportunities for the Labour ilk: i.e., councils and quangos. This expansion of government ¿ one million more employees since 1997 ¿ has been at the expense of the one million manufacturing jobs lost to Asia.
This is how David Cameron addressed it in his speech:
GROWTH
¿Cutting back on big government is not just about spending less. Getting our debt down means getting our economic growth up.
Let¿s be clear where growth will come from. Not big government, with its Regional Development Agencies and National Investment Corporations but entrepreneurs. New businesses, new industries, new technologies.
I get enterprise. I worked in business for seven years. And let me tell you what I learned during that time.
Complicated taxes, excessive regulations they make life impossible for entrepreneurs.
So I will always put the same questions to Ken Clarke and his business team.
What are you doing to make it easier to start a business? Easier to take people on? What are you doing to make regulation less complicated? To make locating a business here more attractive?
Ken Clarke and David Willetts this week helped launch our plan to Get Britain Working.
It is a plan to boost science, skills, self-employment a plan to improve training, technology, tax incentives for entrepreneurs.
This is what it means.
It means the man who¿s lost his job and his confidence saying yes, I can set up on my own, I can take responsibility, there¿s nothing to stop me.
It means the people he takes on, who thought they were written off, thinking yes I¿ve got another chance and I can provide for my family again.
Self-belief is infectious and I want it to spread again throughout our country especially through the poorest places where Labour let hope fade away.
In Britain today, there are entrepreneurs everywhere ¿ they just don¿t know it yet. Success stories everywhere ¿ they just haven¿t been written yet. We must be the people who release that potential.¿”
by R, west end, Leicester
Thursday, October 15 2009, 12:48PM
“To be honest their were many jobs before from 2000 - 2008, but the UK minority were to indolent to work, so eastern Europeans and others outside the UK saw this as an opportunity to enter the UK and to work here and to earn money which they sent back to their own country. Which meant their was limited amount of money being invested into our own government and economy. Many of these people have gone back to their home countries knowing their are no prospects of jobs in the UK and also they have more than enough capital behind them to have comfortable life back home.
When I walk through town I see young kids who are happy living of the state and have no ambition to progress further, given that their is an opportunity to have a free education that may give them the key to a better lifestyle.
Admittedly the economy is bad at the moment and people are struggling to make ends meet but you have to remember the government is paying out so much in benefits to people who if they wanted to can work but choose not to as life is so easy being on benefits. I have no sympathy for people who live of the state and are struggling in current times¿shame.”
by Keith, Leicestershire
Thursday, October 15 2009, 12:25PM
“This is clearly a stunt to waste taxpayers' money on providing low-paid part-time jobs to get the unemployment figures down before the General Election. Taxpayers deserve better value for money and the young unemployed deserve better prospects. Far better to spend the money on providing proper apprenticeships (not so-called apprenticeships at MacDonalds) to train electricians, plumbers and other skilled tradespeople. Better for them and better for the country. This government just doesn't get it.”
by B.Mistry, Leicester
Thursday, October 15 2009, 10:52AM
“If the jobs are created for young aged from 18 -24 then what about 24 and above, who now have work until age of 75, and how they are going survive in furture without jobs to pay for the public services. I do not see any investment done for people with experiences to the jobs with training given. I do not see any investment done by local authority of Leicester.”