YMCA England: Helping young people build a future

On Wednesday 16 November the Government released the latest unemployment figures which showed the number of young unemployed people aged 16-24 has now passed the 1 million mark.

YMCA England CEO Ian Green said: "The Government has talked a lot about the issue of youth unemployment but the latest unemployment figures show that talk is all it is at present and that Government policies are fundamentally failing young people across the country. To have one million young people out of work – nearly 1 in 4 of our young people – is a national tragedy and one that have will consequences upon this country for years to come.

"The Government has got to rethink its approach. Since coming to office it has scrapped schemes like the Future Jobs Fund and placed considerable emphasis around apprenticeships. However, recent figures released by the Government have shown that that these apprenticeships are being created quickest for those over the age of 25, not for the 16-24s.

"My recommendation to the Government would be to spend less time sitting around at breakfasts talking about the issue of youth unemployment and actually put in place incentives to employers to take on young people. The YMCA has already argued to the Chancellor of the Exchequer that announced reductions in Corporation Tax in his budget should be linked to the creation of jobs for young people. It is through the work and skills of the next generation of young people that future economic growth and success will depend, but the Government, through its policies, is failing to recognise this fact."