NUT: Youth Unemployment Figures
Commenting on the latest jobless figures and the news that youth unemployment has crossed the one million mark, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“These shocking figures on youth unemployment come at a time when the Government is inflicting severe cuts on 16-19 education. Sixth form colleges and school sixth forms will see funding cut by close to 20 per cent, as shown last month by independent research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
“With these cuts, alongside the axing of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) and the astronomical cost of university tuition fees, the Government is attacking student life chances, social mobility and economic prospects.
“The Coalition must put reducing youth unemployment at the centre of the political agenda. We need to see practical support and help for students such as vocational training and apprenticeships that are linked to guaranteed employment for those who complete them.
“It is a disgrace that it is almost as expensive to keep a young person out of work as it is to create a job for them. Young people are the future. Politicians must bear in mind that what they sow now they will reap at future elections.”
END pr146-2011
For further information contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706 or 0787948006
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