Employers would be obliged to give young employees one day’s study leave a week as part of a Labour Party plan to ensure everyone under 18 gains a qualification at Level 2 or higher by the year 2000. Labour wants to involve employers “in a positive way” in the training and development of their young employees and the Careers Service would police the system, interviewing every 14 to 18 year old once a year. The plans, called Target 2000, were launched on May 15 to replace the current Youth Training scheme and are part of a wider ‘lost generation’ initiative to eliminate youth unemployment. One in six of the 18-25 age group is unemployed, 600,000 people, and Britain has fewer 16 and 17 year olds in full time study than any OECD country except Turkey. Contact Labour Party on 0171 701 1234
OFF TO WORK AT 14?
Pupils from the age of 14 may be allowed to spend one day a week with an employer and one at further education college to tackle demotivation and help prepare them for working and adult life. The proposals are part of a wider consultation exercise by the education and employment department, with companies also being asked how to improve education business links and get more medium and small enterprises involved. The consultative document, Equipping Young People for Working Life, was published on April 26 and responses must be returned by July 12. Contact DfEE Enquiries on 0171 925 5555 or for copies of the document 01709 888688
SCHOOL LEAVERS DESTINATIONS
A small but growing number of young people are opting out of education, training or employment after school leaving age and for the first time in seven years there has been a drop in the proportion continuing in learning. The findings come in School Leaver Destinations 1995, published in April by the Association of County Councils. The numbers in the school leaver age group rose by 9% compared to 1994; 68% continued in full time education (school or college) while 81% had some form of learning, including Youth Training, Modern Apprenticeship or other employer-based schemes. Contact ACC on 0171 201 1500
TRAINING PAYS
A study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies shows that work-related training adds five per cent on average to an individual’s real earnings and significantly improves future employment prospects. Those with intermediate level school qualifications (equivalent to old O Levels) stand to gain most, but currently it is the already well-educated who get most of this training. Published on April 19, the results are based on an analysis of the ten year National Child Development Survey. Contact Robert Markless, IFS, on 0171 636 3784
WORK THROUGH FOYERS
The first research into the new network of foyers for homeless young people shows they are achieving positive outcomes. Half the 2,000 people going through foyers so far got jobs and a third received training, at a revenue cost of around ?1,500 per outcome, which compares favourably with other schemes. The research into foyers, centres which offer affordable accommodation, training and support into employment, was sponsored by TARMAC. The results were announced on May 28 by Sir Christopher Harding, chief executive of Legal & General. Companies such as GrandMet, BET and BT were instrumental in bringing this French initiative to Britain through the Foyer Federation for Youth; around 40 foyers now open with a further 30 under development. Contact Don Macdonald, Foyer Federation, 0171 377 9789
WORK THROUGH TECS
TEC National Council responded at the start of May to the report of the House of Commons select committee on employment, rejecting its “modest contribution” assessment. It cites the significant rise in job outcomes from both Training for Work and Youth Training and the fall in drop-out, the former improving by 60% and the latter by 35% between 1989/90 and June 1995, while cutting costs by three quarters and two thirds respectively. Contact Godfrey Blakely, TEC National Council, on 0171 735 0010
BIG NEW TEC
The two central London training and enterprise councils agreed on May 23 to merge and so form the largest TEC in the country, covering a workforce of 1.8 million and 85,000 businesses in nine London boroughs. The merger will be complete by April 1997 and the board chaired by Charles Low of Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile the two TECs for north east Wales and north west Wales, covering 600,000 people, are proceeding towards their merger in April. Contact Anita Gupta, CENTEC on 0171 411 3524 or Rosie Fyles, CILNTEC, on 0171 324 2423
comment
P> The significance of Labour’s proposals lies not in its desire to abolish Youth Training. Sir Ron Dearing has already recommended a replacement, National Traineeships, to revitalise the work-based route to training for school leavers. A government consultation paper on the details is expected in June.
Rather it is the reaffirmation of the ambitious plan for every young person to be in work or training and to gain a qualification. Of course there are difficulties. Can the cost really be contained within existing YT budgets? Unlikely. Will promotion of Investors in People and individual learning accounts reach the mass of small businesses? Some, but by no means all. Can the hard core of disaffected youngsters in the inner cities be drawn back in? Not without a lot more effort.
Nonetheless, for social and economic reasons, it is surely worth a try. The government agrees about the need to break the barrier between education and work, all be it starting younger. It can’t be done without the help of companies. How many are freeing up space in their community affairs programmes to take on the challenge?
The first research into the new network of foyers for homeless young people shows they are achieving positive outcomes. Half the 2,000 people going through foyers so far got jobs and a third received training, at a revenue cost of around ?1,500 per outcome, which compares favourably with other schemes. The research into foyers, centres which offer affordable accommodation, training and support into employment, was sponsored by TARMAC. The results were announced on May 28 by Sir Christopher Harding, chief executive of Legal & General. Companies such as GrandMet, BET and BT were instrumental in bringing this French initiative to Britain through the Foyer Federation for Youth; around 40 foyers now open with a further 30 under development. Contact Don Macdonald, Foyer Federation, 0171 377 9789
WORK THROUGH TECS
TEC National Council responded at the start of May to the report of the House of Commons select committee on employment, rejecting its “modest contribution” assessment. It cites the significant rise in job outcomes from both Training for Work and Youth Training and the fall in drop-out, the former improving by 60% and the latter by 35% between 1989/90 and June 1995, while cutting costs by three quarters and two thirds respectively. Contact Godfrey Blakely, TEC National Council, on 0171 735 0010
BIG NEW TEC
The two central London training and enterprise councils agreed on May 23 to merge and so form the largest TEC in the country, covering a workforce of 1.8 million and 85,000 businesses in nine London boroughs. The merger will be complete by April 1997 and the board chaired by Charles Low of Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile the two TECs for north east Wales and north west Wales, covering 600,000 people, are proceeding towards their merger in April. Contact Anita Gupta, CENTEC on 0171 411 3524 or Rosie Fyles, CILNTEC, on 0171 324 2423
comment
P> The significance of Labour’s proposals lies not in its desire to abolish Youth Training. Sir Ron Dearing has already recommended a replacement, National Traineeships, to revitalise the work-based route to training for school leavers. A government consultation paper on the details is expected in June.
Rather it is the reaffirmation of the ambitious plan for every young person to be in work or training and to gain a qualification. Of course there are difficulties. Can the cost really be contained within existing YT budgets? Unlikely. Will promotion of Investors in People and individual learning accounts reach the mass of small businesses? Some, but by no means all. Can the hard core of disaffected youngsters in the inner cities be drawn back in? Not without a lot more effort.
Nonetheless, for social and economic reasons, it is surely worth a try. The government agrees about the need to break the barrier between education and work, all be it starting younger. It can’t be done without the help of companies. How many are freeing up space in their community affairs programmes to take on the challenge?
The first research into the new network of foyers for homeless young people shows they are achieving positive outcomes. Half the 2,000 people going through foyers so far got jobs and a third received training, at a revenue cost of around ?1,500 per outcome, which compares favourably with other schemes. The research into foyers, centres which offer affordable accommodation, training and support into employment, was sponsored by TARMAC. The results were announced on May 28 by Sir Christopher Harding, chief executive of Legal & General. Companies such as GrandMet, BET and BT were instrumental in bringing this French initiative to Britain through the Foyer Federation for Youth; around 40 foyers now open with a further 30 under development. Contact Don Macdonald, Foyer Federation, 0171 377 9789
WORK THROUGH TECS
TEC National Council responded at the start of May to the report of the House of Commons select committee on employment, rejecting its “modest contribution” assessment. It cites the significant rise in job outcomes from both Training for Work and Youth Training and the fall in drop-out, the former improving by 60% and the latter by 35% between 1989/90 and June 1995, while cutting costs by three quarters and two thirds respectively. Contact Godfrey Blakely, TEC National Council, on 0171 735 0010
BIG NEW TEC
The two central London training and enterprise councils agreed on May 23 to merge and so form the largest TEC in the country, covering a workforce of 1.8 million and 85,000 businesses in nine London boroughs. The merger will be complete by April 1997 and the board chaired by Charles Low of Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile the two TECs for north east Wales and north west Wales, covering 600,000 people, are proceeding towards their merger in April. Contact Anita Gupta, CENTEC on 0171 411 3524 or Rosie Fyles, CILNTEC, on 0171 324 2423
comment
P> The significance of Labour’s proposals lies not in its desire to abolish Youth Training. Sir Ron Dearing has already recommended a replacement, National Traineeships, to revitalise the work-based route to training for school leavers. A government consultation paper on the details is expected in June.
Rather it is the reaffirmation of the ambitious plan for every young person to be in work or training and to gain a qualification. Of course there are difficulties. Can the cost really be contained within existing YT budgets? Unlikely. Will promotion of Investors in People and individual learning accounts reach the mass of small businesses? Some, but by no means all. Can the hard core of disaffected youngsters in the inner cities be drawn back in? Not without a lot more effort.
Nonetheless, for social and economic reasons, it is surely worth a try. The government agrees about the need to break the barrier between education and work, all be it starting younger. It can’t be done without the help of companies. How many are freeing up space in their community affairs programmes to take on the challenge?
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