Employers asked to back youth jobs project

Rochdale employers are being encouraged to support the Government’s Backing Young Britain campaign to help young people through the recession.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper and the Business Secretary Peter Mandelson say over 150 top British employers have thrown their weight behind the national campaign to create new opportunities for thousands of young people.

Mr Brown added: “We know that people of all ages are being hit by the recession, but it is young people who can be most at risk and that’s where Backing Young Britain can really make a difference.”

Employers in Rochdale can support the campaign by signing up to a Local Employment Partnership (LEP) which enables employers to recruit people through guaranteed interviews, special recruitment processes, pre-employment training and work trials. Details are available through Jobcentre Plus.

The Government also announced an extra 85,000 opportunities for young people. These range from:

Morrisons pledging new training for every one of its 36,000 employees under the age of 25.

The Government providing help to get 45,000 young people into jobs in retail, tourism, leisure and hospitality.

5,000 new opportunities, including apprenticeships from companies including Centrica, Carillion and Royal Mail.

45,000 new training and support opportunities to help young people move into sectors that need new talent and have jobs to fill including hospitality, leisure, tourism and retail.

Yvette Cooper said: “We will not lose a generation of young people to work because of the global recession.”

For more information visit www.hmg.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain