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Commission urges more apprentice support for small firms New plan to reduce youth unemployment by 40%
(3 days later)
Small businesses should be given more support to hire apprentices, a report on youth employment will recommend. Scotland's vocational education system must be improved if youth unemployment is to fall, according to a new report.
The Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce found that industry-led groups should also work to establish greater collaboration between industry and education. A commission chaired by the businessman Sir Ian Wood recommended that employers play far a bigger role in schools and colleges.
The commission has spent 18 months looking at how Scotland's system of vocational education could be improved. He said if the measures contained in the report were implemented, youth unemployment could be cut by 40%.
It was chaired by Sir Ian Wood and established by the Scottish government. Scotland's youth employment minister said she would work to take the recommendations forward.
Its report, to be published on Tuesday, will make a significant number of recommendations following extensive consultations with leading figures in education and business. Figures published earlier this year showed nearly a fifth of of 16-24 year-olds were out of work.
The Scottish government will respond formally to the report in the coming weeks, with £12m already set aside for youth employment measures. Established by the Scottish government, the commission spent 18 months consulting with industry and education to see how the country's system of vocational education could be improved.
Apprenticeship programme Scotland should bring its youth employment down below 30,000 in line with the five best European countries by 2020, the commission said.
Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance said: "We have ambitions to see significant improvements in our youth employment numbers which will have benefits for the wider economy with more young people in jobs. It stated: "We are simply not preparing or equipping these young people for the world of work.
"The £12m we announced earlier will help accelerate progress, and we will discuss with our partners in local government how best that is deployed. "There must be much more focus on providing them with the skills, qualifications and vocational pathways that will lead directly to employment opportunities.
"A substantial amount of activity is in place, including our very successful Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. The 39 recommendations include:
"This must be part of a world-class system of vocational education that truly makes the connections between education and employment that our young people need to succeed." Work experience
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Sir Ian said business in Scotland had "got out of the habit" of employing young people.
He said schools needed to prepare young people better for the workplace and ensure vocational training was offered as well as academic qualifications.
He added: "It's all about building a bridge between school and college into business and industry.
"We're suggesting that we set up 15 to 20 employer-led groups across Scotland. They'll have a three year life and will facilitate every secondary school in Scotland having a long-term partnership with local employers, to include work experience.
"We're suggesting a really worthwhile work experience and also better advice and career information.
"Frankly, business says 'we would like to employ more young people, but we're not sure how to, we don't have the resource.' We've tried to do something quite concrete to change that."
Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance said Sir Ian had set out "a challenging programme to transform the way we work with young people, employers, schools and colleges".
She added that Scottish government had set aside £12m to help tackle youth unemployment.
She added: "A substantial amount of activity to help young women and men towards employment is already in place, including our very successful modern apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. Opportunities for All also guarantees every 16 to 19 year-old the offer of a place in education or training.
"There is now much to consider and we will work closely with the public, private and third sectors on how the recommendations could be taken forward."
Both Labour and the Conservatives welcomed Sir Ian's report and urged the Scottish government to implement the recommendations.
Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, called the report a "landmark moment".
She added: "For too long there has been a lack of recognition and support at a school level of those young people who wish to pursue vocational training and education.
"Whether by accident or design, a narrow focus on academic attainment within schools has emerged and it is time to complement this with the skills and knowledge that will allow young people to better access valuable and profitable opportunities on the vocational side."