Youth Unemployment
Opposition Day — [11th Allotted Day]
1:58 pm
Chris Grayling (Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
Let me tell the right hon. Gentleman what we are doing to get young people into the workplace for the first time.
One of the first things I received on entering government was an e-mail from the mother of a young woman who had arranged a month's work experience for herself but been told by Jobcentre Plus that she could not do it, because the rules, which the previous Administration put in place, prevented her from doing so. We have therefore changed things.
We now encourage work experience. Through Jobcentre Plus, we will actively find work experience for young people, without their losing their benefits, and give them the opportunity to solve the age-old problem whereby, if someone cannot get the experience, they do not get the job, but, if they do not get the job, they cannot get the experience.
We have also strengthened volunteering opportunities for young people, and we will have Prince's Trust representation in every job centre, so that we can steer young people towards voluntary work and take advantages of the trust's skills to help unemployed young people.