Youth Employment Minister Angela Constance told MSPs that she planned to allocate £6m to support a continuation of Community Jobs Scotland in 2012/13.
The £6m comes from an additional investment of £30m which the first minister announced in December to boost youth employment.
Ms Constance was leading a debate on the Scottish government’s
, on 9 February 2012.
She said the strategy “encapsulates both how this government has prioritised youth unemployment since the economic downturn in 2008, and how we will continue to move forward, develop fresh impetus and ensure an all government, all Scotland response to what is undoubtedly a massive national challenge”.
The minister ended her contribution by telling the Parliament “I won’t be lying idle and will be maximising what we do within the powers we currently have at our disposal to make sure every young person in Scotland gets the best start to working life”.
In her draft strategy Ms Constance said there would be:
• A clear and targeted approach to support young people as they look for jobs
• The development of opportunities within the apprenticeship programme
• Targeted support to help young people get jobs in the energy and the low carbon economy
• Support through the My Work Coach, which is under development by Skills Development Scotland
Labour youth employment spokesperson Kezia Dugdale said the youth employment situation was “not a problem or a challenge, but a national crisis that needs an urgent response”.
Ms Dugdale also said “the draft strategy is of course welcome but it is short on detail, timescale and crucially, on money”.
Ms Constance saw her motion passed unanimously at decision time.
Similar news:
RSS
Facebook
Google+
Twitter
