Cash drive to get young people earning or learning

A £20million drive to create opportunities for NEETs in North West England will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today.

The scheme, which is part of the Government’s Youth Contract, will target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* - C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

Charities and businesses with expertise in supporting young people will be able to bid for contracts worth up to £2,200 for every young person they help.

Support will be tailored to suit individuals’ needs, and will include basic skills training and interview practice.

£20,555,526 is being allocated to the North West from a national pot of £126million aimed to give teenagers opportunities to train, work and get their lives on track.

Mr Clegg said: “Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years.

“It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and our society as a whole.

“This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to ensure some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.

“Many of them will have complex problems: truancy, teenage pregnancy, a lack of GCSEs and health problems. So helping them onto their feet will not be without challenges and Government cannot do this alone.

“But we all have a duty to reach out to the young people who can be hardest to reach. That’s why today I am calling on charities and other organisations at the coal face to work with Government to help tens of thousands of lost teenagers onto a brighter path.”