Employers need to work collaboratively with the Executive to maximise the benefits of the £31m YES (Youth Employment Scheme), according to Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry.
The scheme aims to provide work placements and opportunities to support young unemployed people, Dr Farry told delegates at a recent employers’ breakfast to promote YES.
The Minister called on employers to get involved in the scheme by providing sector relevant work experience opportunities which would be supported by employer subsidies.
The Minister said: “The ongoing difficult economic conditions have hit young people particularly hard. Without relevant recent work experience many of our young people, including those recently graduated, are finding it difficult to compete for the jobs that are available. The Youth Employment Scheme is a £31million package which provides employment and skills incentives to address the issue.
“Core strands of this new scheme include early intensive diagnosis of employability skills, work experience flexibly blended with skills training and a new employer subsidy worth up to £5,570 per year. This new employer subsidy will be for sectors which have the potential to help rebuild and rebalance the economy.
“In addition, we are investing a further £10million to deliver the initiatives set out in our NEETs strategy, Pathways to Success, to help those young people most marginalised in our society engage effectively with the world of work.”
The programme will also consist of enhanced support through additional adviser time from both the Employment and Careers Services. Participants will be paid a training allowance of £100 a week whilst on work experience and employers will also receive help with training costs up to a maximum of £750.
The Minister continued: “I am encouraging employers to sign up to YES and help to facilitate and enable the skills development of our next generation.
“Employers can support this initiative by providing short and long term work experience placements. This is much more than employers meeting their corporate social responsibility commitments – this is about investing in the development of their workforce, with government support, to improve their business performance and grow our local economy.”
CAPTION
Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry called on employers to support the new programme to tackle youth unemployment entitled Youth Employment Scheme (YES) at an employer breakfast seminar. Also pictured, Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and Kirsty McManus, Assistant Director, CBI NI
Employers need to work collaboratively with the Executive to maximise the benefits of the £31m YES (Youth Employment Scheme), according to Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry.
The scheme aims to provide work placements and opportunities to support young unemployed people, Dr Farry told delegates at a recent employers’ breakfast to promote YES.
The Minister called on employers to get involved in the scheme by providing sector relevant work experience opportunities which would be supported by employer subsidies.
The Minister said: “The ongoing difficult economic conditions have hit young people particularly hard. Without relevant recent work experience many of our young people, including those recently graduated, are finding it difficult to compete for the jobs that are available. The Youth Employment Scheme is a £31million package which provides employment and skills incentives to address the issue.
“Core strands of this new scheme include early intensive diagnosis of employability skills, work experience flexibly blended with skills training and a new employer subsidy worth up to £5,570 per year. This new employer subsidy will be for sectors which have the potential to help rebuild and rebalance the economy.
“In addition, we are investing a further £10million to deliver the initiatives set out in our NEETs strategy, Pathways to Success, to help those young people most marginalised in our society engage effectively with the world of work.”
The programme will also consist of enhanced support through additional adviser time from both the Employment and Careers Services. Participants will be paid a training allowance of £100 a week whilst on work experience and employers will also receive help with training costs up to a maximum of £750.
The Minister continued: “I am encouraging employers to sign up to YES and help to facilitate and enable the skills development of our next generation.
“Employers can support this initiative by providing short and long term work experience placements. This is much more than employers meeting their corporate social responsibility commitments – this is about investing in the development of their workforce, with government support, to improve their business performance and grow our local economy.”
