Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 June 2012
14 Jun 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Youth Employment
Last December, President Barroso, in response to growing unemployment across Europe, urged all member states to develop youth job plans, increase apprenticeship numbers, guarantee education or job opportunities for young people leaving school and redirect European funds to youth unemployment.
Well before that, the Scottish Government had responded to the situation by appointing me as a dedicated youth employment minister, committing to 25,000 new apprenticeships a year and announcing the opportunities for all initiative—an unprecedented guarantee of a place in education or training for all 16 to 19-year-olds who require one. We published our draft strategy for youth employment in January. Last month, we announced that we would direct £25 million of European funds to youth employment.
Tackling youth unemployment needs short-term responses, medium-term action and a longer-term strategy, all of which we articulated in our youth employment strategy, the final version of which will be published at the end of this month.
In the longer term, our investment in the early years and early intervention, the curriculum for excellence and the reform of our post-16 education system will ensure that any systematic problems in preparing young people for adulthood and the world of work are addressed. Over the next few months, we will develop further measures for the increasing number of young people aged 18 to 24 who are unable to secure jobs because of depressed demand in the labour market. Our short-term focus has been on action for those most acutely affected by the recession.
I am pleased to say that there has been a hugely positive response to the draft youth employment strategy, which has prompted many into making commitments. I have spent the past four months meeting hundreds of individuals, businesses, social enterprises and others to discuss the translation of those commitments into actions.
As a direct outcome of the national economic forum, Scottish Enterprise published its own youth employment plan, outlining actions for supporting businesses and industry sectors to recruit young people. The Scottish Council for Development and Industry has arranged a series of meetings with large employers to explore how it can encourage companies and their supply chains to support the young unemployed.
To extend employer engagement and drive action at a local level, I initiated a series of action forum events, starting in Lanarkshire in May. The events bring together local employers, young people and key partners in action-focused discussions on how we can work more effectively across all sectors to support youth employment.
On Tuesday, more than 100 people attended the Glasgow action forum at Willie Haughey’s City Refrigeration premises. In the next two weeks, I will lead similar events in Dumfries and Edinburgh. More will follow later in the year as I work across Scotland to drive home the message about supporting young Scots into work.
The public sector remains a key employer. Following a meeting of public sector chief executives in March, I received around 100 pledges to take on apprentices, offer work experience and student placements, and increase the proportion of young employees in the public sector. For example, Scottish Enterprise will double the number of employees under the age of 25 in its workforce, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will increase its proportion of young employees to 10 per cent and Perth and Kinross Council will increase its young workforce from 170 to 450 over the next five years.
Public procurement projects are also supporting the creation of job and training opportunities for our young people. Of the 380 new jobs that are being created through the new south Glasgow hospitals project, more than 80 so far have gone to 16 to 24-year-olds. Further, 140 of the 180 work placements have been set up for young people, and 90 apprenticeships will also be created.
Recognising the distinctive role that social enterprises and the third sector play in helping to deliver our youth employment ambitions, we have invested nearly £10 million to create employment opportunities in that sector through initiatives such as community jobs Scotland. In association with the Commonwealth games legacy fund, a further £5 million will support jobs and other opportunities through major sporting events. That is in addition to the recent announcement by the First Minister of £1 million for the Prince’s Trust to support young entrepreneurs and start-ups, which comes hot on the heels of the £750,000 that was given to the same organisation to support more young people into jobs, education and training, which will benefit up to 7,000 young Scots.
To refer to such commitments as “pocket-money announcements” is an insult to the thousands of young people who will benefit from them, and to the organisations that are offering work opportunities.
Well before that, the Scottish Government had responded to the situation by appointing me as a dedicated youth employment minister, committing to 25,000 new apprenticeships a year and announcing the opportunities for all initiative—an unprecedented guarantee of a place in education or training for all 16 to 19-year-olds who require one. We published our draft strategy for youth employment in January. Last month, we announced that we would direct £25 million of European funds to youth employment.
Tackling youth unemployment needs short-term responses, medium-term action and a longer-term strategy, all of which we articulated in our youth employment strategy, the final version of which will be published at the end of this month.
In the longer term, our investment in the early years and early intervention, the curriculum for excellence and the reform of our post-16 education system will ensure that any systematic problems in preparing young people for adulthood and the world of work are addressed. Over the next few months, we will develop further measures for the increasing number of young people aged 18 to 24 who are unable to secure jobs because of depressed demand in the labour market. Our short-term focus has been on action for those most acutely affected by the recession.
I am pleased to say that there has been a hugely positive response to the draft youth employment strategy, which has prompted many into making commitments. I have spent the past four months meeting hundreds of individuals, businesses, social enterprises and others to discuss the translation of those commitments into actions.
As a direct outcome of the national economic forum, Scottish Enterprise published its own youth employment plan, outlining actions for supporting businesses and industry sectors to recruit young people. The Scottish Council for Development and Industry has arranged a series of meetings with large employers to explore how it can encourage companies and their supply chains to support the young unemployed.
To extend employer engagement and drive action at a local level, I initiated a series of action forum events, starting in Lanarkshire in May. The events bring together local employers, young people and key partners in action-focused discussions on how we can work more effectively across all sectors to support youth employment.
On Tuesday, more than 100 people attended the Glasgow action forum at Willie Haughey’s City Refrigeration premises. In the next two weeks, I will lead similar events in Dumfries and Edinburgh. More will follow later in the year as I work across Scotland to drive home the message about supporting young Scots into work.
The public sector remains a key employer. Following a meeting of public sector chief executives in March, I received around 100 pledges to take on apprentices, offer work experience and student placements, and increase the proportion of young employees in the public sector. For example, Scottish Enterprise will double the number of employees under the age of 25 in its workforce, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will increase its proportion of young employees to 10 per cent and Perth and Kinross Council will increase its young workforce from 170 to 450 over the next five years.
Public procurement projects are also supporting the creation of job and training opportunities for our young people. Of the 380 new jobs that are being created through the new south Glasgow hospitals project, more than 80 so far have gone to 16 to 24-year-olds. Further, 140 of the 180 work placements have been set up for young people, and 90 apprenticeships will also be created.
Recognising the distinctive role that social enterprises and the third sector play in helping to deliver our youth employment ambitions, we have invested nearly £10 million to create employment opportunities in that sector through initiatives such as community jobs Scotland. In association with the Commonwealth games legacy fund, a further £5 million will support jobs and other opportunities through major sporting events. That is in addition to the recent announcement by the First Minister of £1 million for the Prince’s Trust to support young entrepreneurs and start-ups, which comes hot on the heels of the £750,000 that was given to the same organisation to support more young people into jobs, education and training, which will benefit up to 7,000 young Scots.
To refer to such commitments as “pocket-money announcements” is an insult to the thousands of young people who will benefit from them, and to the organisations that are offering work opportunities.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-03295, in the name of Angela Constance, on young people and economic growth. I advise members that the de...
The Minister for Youth Employment (Angela Constance)
SNP
Last December, President Barroso, in response to growing unemployment across Europe, urged all member states to develop youth job plans, increase apprentices...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
Will the jobs that the minister announced in the enterprise companies be new posts, or will the young people concerned replace older workers in those posts?
Angela Constance
SNP
As Kenneth Macintosh knows, many organisations across the public sector are living with the reality of shrinking workforces. We know, as he should know, that...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
The minister mentioned that she is spending £70 million on modern apprenticeships. The Parliament has to be accountable for that money. How many of the peopl...
Angela Constance
SNP
I know that Mr Findlay is a relatively new MSP but he, like everybody else in the chamber, should know that to be an apprentice in Scotland someone already h...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
Interventions from a sedentary position are not welcome.
Angela Constance
SNP
In fact, we are doing three things differently. We are doing it bigger, we are doing it better, and we are increasing the priority given to 16 to 24-year-old...
Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
It may surprise the minister that Labour has a real willingness to work with the SNP Government on young people and economic growth. That is why, as a party,...
Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee City West) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
I have spoken for literally 15 seconds. Mr FitzPatrick should give me a few more minutes to move on.We will support the minister’s motion today. Labour’s ame...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell)
SNP
If I was furious in any way, it was the fury of disappointment that a member of the Labour Party who attended the youth summit and who I thought would work w...
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
The reality is that the figures did not simply magic themselves into a Labour press release; they came from Skills Development Scotland, and they represent a...
Joe FitzPatrick
SNP
Which of those 10,000 people should not get the opportunity of a modern apprenticeship?
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
We would not take those opportunities away from young people. I will come back to Mr FitzPatrick’s point shortly with a suggestion about how the Government c...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention on that point?
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
No. I am sorry, but there is a lot to get through. Mr Gibson will have the joy of listening to me close the debate as well, so if he speaks in the debate, I ...
Angela Constance
SNP
I take seriously any issue that any member of the Scottish Parliament has with an agency over which I have charge. I give the member that commitment.Will the...
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
It is interesting that the minister says that this is the first year that SDS has collected figures in such detail. At First Minister’s question time, the Fi...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I welcome this debate on youth employment. I was a lecturer for 20 years before I became an MSP, so I am fully aware of the enormous benefit of training and ...
Michael Russell
SNP
I am glad to say that that work is well under way with the college reforms. In particular, I hope that the member will reflect on a core message from Tom Hun...
Mary Scanlon
Con
I am delighted about that. There was some criticism about how entrepreneurialism was encouraged in the past, and I am pleased to hear the education secretary...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You must close now, please.
Mary Scanlon
Con
I close by saying that in its last four years, the previous Administration had 3,000 more apprentices per year than this Administration has had in its first ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We are extremely tight for time, so speeches of six minutes or less, including interventions, will be welcome.15:40
Paul Wheelhouse (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I rise in support of the Scottish Government’s motion. As the minister set out, the SNP in Government has done everything in its power to tackle youth unempl...
Kezia Dugdale
Lab
Will the member give way?
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I will when I finish the quote. It continues:“This meets business requirements, gives more people the opportunity to train to industry standards and reduces ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Forgive me, but the member is in his last minute.
Paul Wheelhouse
SNP
I apologise to Kezia Dugdale—I had not noticed the time going by.I commend the Government for continuing the adopt-an-apprentice scheme. The Finance Committe...