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Dr Phillip Lee MP
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Phillip Lee MP: Imperative to reduce unemployed youth

By Dr Phillip Lee MP
April 18, 2012

I believe reducing the number of unemployed young people is absolutely imperative.

While times are challenging now, youth unemployment has been rising steadily over the last 14 years.

The present Government shares my desire to reduce youth unemployment and has already implemented a variety of initiatives to help young people get into work. These include:

- The Work Programme, which offers tailored support for jobseekers;

- Doubling the number of apprenticeship starts to over 400,000;

- Introducing sector-based work academies;

- Expanding the number of work experience placements available.

However, ministers are determined to do more.

This is why from April 1 this year, young people aged 18 to 24 have been able to access help from the Government’s Youth Contract.

This expands the number of work experience placements available for young people and guarantees every young person a job interview through sector-based Work Academies if they want one.

In addition to this, it also provides subsidies of up to £2,275 to British businesses to take on up to 160,000 apprentices.

This is more than enough to cover an employer’s National Insurance contributions for one year and is also more than the CBI recommended in their recent report on youth unemployment.

Furthermore, as part of the Youth Contract, young people can expect extra support and advice at Jobcentres, including weekly rather than fortnightly meetings and a National Careers Service interview.

By giving young people the opportunity to get real work experience, the Government has found that 50 per cent of 18 to 25-year-olds move off benefits within three months of completing a placement.

I would also personally advocate the reduction, or perhaps removal, of the minimum wage for those under 21 years.

I must stress that this is not Government policy.

However, I strongly believe that the present rate of minimum pay is reducing the opportunity for work experience amongst young people.

I am sure that most local employers around Bracknell and Wokingham would agree with me.

Is it not better that a young person secures work experience, develops that precious commodity of ‘a work ethic’ and manages to enhance their CV so that a better-paid job is secured in the future?

We all know that we depend upon younger generations being successful in life for the country to have a prosperous future.

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Most recent user comments 7 of 7

... Also to this, I would personally advocate the reduction, or perhaps removal, of the minimum wage for those under 21 years. I must stress that this is not government policy; however, I strongly believe that the present rate of minimum pay is reducing the opportunity for work experience amongst young people. I am sure that most local employers around Bracknell and Wokingham would agree with me ....

Phillip as a local small business employer in Bracknell - I completely agree with you about dropping the minimum wage for under 21 years. As a nation, it is increasingly hard for small businesses to remain competitive in a global economy. Granted some people may disagree, but what will get us out of this mess is not government printing more money to spend on infrastructure projects but NEW money coming from abroad.

I cannot understand why so called intelligent people fail to see this. We cannot spend our way out of our currently situation - we tried that for 13 years and failed.

Phillip I would very much like you to work hard to push this idea through. If government is serious about helping small businesses then government needs to listen.

NativeB, UK
13/05/2012 at 18:35

Not sure I agree with abolishing minimum wage as it could lead to real abuse. Maybe promoting volunteer work for local charities for those who can't get jobs? So they can still get their benefits while gaining valuable experience? Did you ever think of that?

Also, what about helping the long-term unemployed parents of young children? I know someone who has a young child with a medical condition requiring visits to specialist hospitals, but who is now struggling to afford the transportation costs because they can't find work, with employers stating that his CV is too good or that he has been out of work for too long.

Employers need to change this viewpoint of not employing people just because they are unemployed.

CMA
23/04/2012 at 13:16

The young in Bracknell are our future and currently have the twin role models of Jeremy Kyle or Phillip Lee.

Maybe we need to open political academies - offer subsidies for training - so that our youth can engage in the political discourse and then stand against Phillip Lee in 2015.

How about that Phillip?

Bet you wouldn't be quite so keen on supporting the youth then would you? They couldn't do a worse job.

Winstanley, Bracknell
20/04/2012 at 10:02

Mr Lee's hidden agenda that school leavers are to be paid to monitor television between the hours of Trisha and Home & Away has been completely overlooked here. The government is ramping up to create one million sofa-based televisual interface broadcast apprenticeships with duties including turning the television on and off, looking at it, and trying to name the guest stars in Murder, She Wrote. Bonuses will be paid to all those who solve the murder before Jessica Fletcher. Don't get me wrong,I'm all for young people learning some really interesting things, like how at any given time at least one of the channels is showing footage of a baby chimp being inoculated, but my main concern is that it will all start to blur into one, for instance I was watching The Professionals yesterday and I started hallucinating that Bodie was trying to sell a pottery dog he'd found at a car boot sale to Angela Lansbury.

Timothy Jefferies
19/04/2012 at 11:24

There are other actions that the government could have taken that they haven't. For example removing employers NI contributions for under 24s would not only have helped with their employment but also had other beneficial effects like help exports and import replacement. The money allocated for corporation tax reduction would have been much more effectively used in this way.

We also need a much closer link between vocational courses at school and college, work experience both from school and job centre, and apprenticeships.

PoneRana, Wokingham
19/04/2012 at 11:19

A mixed bag this week Phillip.

Yes - we must do more to get the young unemployed into work in order to avoid another generation who have never worked.

No - we do not cut their wages but give them a decent wage in order to encourage them to commit to an employer. If it's easier to remain on benefits and play the system then there is no incentive to contribute meaningfully to mainstream society.

Yes - "we depend upon younger generations being successful in life for the country to have a prosperous future".

No - you don't do it by undermining youth employability at the expense of a worthwhile wage. But then you are your ilk are always going to support business over individuals.

A decent days pay for a decent days work - how can you consider any alternative if it's not to prop up Tory voting business?

"I would also personally advocate the reduction, or perhaps removal, of the minimum wage for those under 21 years.

I must stress that this is not Government policy."

Much like a new hospital on the M4, or a failure to support walk-in clinics?

I'm also going to formally announce what I have dubbed The Lee Effect - this is when a politician attacks the opposition, often on spurious grounds, to hide a deficit in their own ideas and thinking. Also, a politicians likelihood of suffering verbal diarrhea to hide a lack of anything worthwhile to say on any given subject.

Pip pip!