CBI says apprenticeships should be a priority
Tue, 27 Oct 2009
UK businesses cannot afford to reduce their investment in young members of the workforce, it has been claimed.
Richard Wainer, head of education and skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said policymakers risk creating a "scarred generation" if measures to reduce youth unemployment figures are not made a priority.
He was commenting after government figures showed a fall in the number of under-25s starting apprenticeship schemes during the early months of 2009.
Although a record 234,000 people started courses in the last year, the number recruited between May and July stood at 33,900 compared to 53,800 the previous year.
Mr Wainer stated: "We have been calling for the government to use funds earmarked for tackling unemployment to subsidise extra apprenticeships for young people. [These] figures emphasise the need for such a policy."
CBI director-general Richard Lambert recently claimed that young people leaving education in 2009 faced "the toughest job market in a generation".
He said previous recessions showed that a lack of employment after leaving education can damage young peoples' long-term prospects at "a critical point" as they move into the world of work.
"Young people are being hardest hit by unemployment, and the government must increase the opportunities available to limit its scarring effects," Mr Lambert added.
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