A commitment to tackling youth unemployment is being made by Bath & North East Somerset Council after official statistics showed more than 1million young people nationwide are now out of work.
In Bath and North East Somerset youth unemployment actually fell over the last month from 815 to 765 (for 18-24 year olds) despite the worsening national picture. However the Council recognises that the figure is still too high (it was 565 in July of this year) and a severe hardship for all those affected.
Bath & North East Somerset Council sympathises with the significant challenge to young people to find employment during this period of national economic uncertainty and has pledged to do all it can to help.
One way to help is to assist business in the things they need to grow and create jobs. The other is to work alongside the unemployed to build up their skills, confidence and work experience. Bath & North East Somerset Council has designed a series of placement opportunities with employers (including itself) to give people the chance to gain some work experience and qualifications. The Council is also employing an Engagement Officer to assist people whilst on placements to ensure they get assistance at developing the attributes that employers say they need.
The Council works in partnership with the local universities, further education colleges, businesses, Job Centre Plus, and the local Learning and Skills Partnership to ensure the needs of employers and the unemployed are met.
Initiatives include:
a. Work with Job Centre Plus and others with a specific focus on18-24 year olds giving help with CV preparation, interview practice and job matching;
b. A project initiated by Bath & North East Somerset Council together with Sirona CiC will offer coaching to help find and secure a job for those who have been unemployed for a long time and it provides a complete service from a job seeker’s first enquiry to their first day at work;
c. Continue to work jointly with Connexions and others to promote local apprenticeships, such as through speed dating events with local businesses. Last year Bath & North East Somerset Council was successful in the 100 Apprentices in 100 days campaign;
d. Initiatives with Job Centre Plus and Bath and North East Somerset DWP Work Programme contractors recently appointed in the area (JHP Group Ltd and Rehab JobFit) to support long term out of work benefit claimants;
e. Continuing to deliver programmes to encourage greater levels of graduate retention from our universities, including placements in local businesses and joint events between university departments and local businesses;
f. A volunteering and work placement scheme across the Council and with external partners to give people experience to put on their CV that breaks into the vicious circle of ‘no experience no job’;
g. Continue to develop Youth Service Hubs to support young people not in education, employment or training;
h. Work with schools and Connexions to make sure young people have access to great advice about what their options are for continuing education, taking up apprenticeships or choosing a career and prevent the next generation of school leavers becoming unemployed;
i. The Council is also paying particular attention to those young people in its own care to make sure they get early and specific guidance that gets them on a positive pathway to work recognising they often face unique challenges.
Councillor Nathan Hartley (Lib-Dem, Peasedown), Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children and Youth – including responsibility for Skills and Employment – said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council recognises that unemployment is a personal tragedy which lowers people’s self-esteem and confidence. People in jobs tend to be happier and healthier. Unemployment is blight on local communities and is not good for business. The Council recognises that it is business that creates jobs, but that we can help people with getting them skilled and ready to do those jobs.
“Creating new private sector jobs with better pay is essential so that the children and grandchildren that our excellent schools educate don’t have to move away to find employment but provide businesses with a local talent pool from which to draw.
“We are also developing a ‘City of Ideas’ at Bath City Riverside where higher value businesses in the knowledge, creative, digital and scientific industries can locate and expand will create up to 2,000 jobs. We will be publishing further details on how this will be achieved in early 2012.“
