Earlier this week (Tuesday, 21st February) Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg announced £570,167 to get young people in North East Lincolnshire who are not at the moment in employment, education or training (NEET), back into learning or learning again.

As part of Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract, the Coalition government will, for the first time, target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* – C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

Commenting, Simon Hughes MP said:

“Liberal Democrats in the Coalition government are doing the right thing and supporting young people in Southwark who have had difficulty in finding a job or training when they’ve left school.

“Today’s announcement will make sure they receive personal, targeted support from experts to help them develop the confidence and skills that they need to stay in education or find a job.

“It’s right that although money is tight, the Coalition government is giving priority to investment in the Youth Contract to get young people earning or learning again.”

Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:

“Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years. It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and our society as a whole. This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to make sure that some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.

“Many of them will have complex problems: truancy, teenage pregnancy, a lack of GCSEs and health problems. So helping them onto their feet will not be without challenges and Government cannot do this alone. But we all have a duty to reach out to the young people who can be hardest to reach. That’s why today I am calling on charities and other organisations at the coal face to work with the government I to help tens of thousands of lost teenagers onto a brighter path.”

Notes:

The Youth Contract, launched last November by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, aims to lift all young people out of unemployment. Key features include:

•Cash payments to encourage employers to recruit young people.

•An extra 250,000 work experience places over the next three years.

•At least 20,000 extra incentive payments worth £1,500 each for employers to take on young people as apprentices.

•Extra support through Jobcentre Plus in the form of weekly, rather than fortnightly, signing-on meetings, more time to talk to an adviser and a National Careers Service interview

For more information on the Youth Contract, visit: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2011/nov-2011/dwp132-11.shtml

2.In England, the Government is making £126m of new money available to give teenagers opportunities to train, work and get their lives on track. Help will focus on at least 55,000 young people – those 16- and 17-year-old NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) with no GCSEs at A* – C at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

3.Charities and businesses with expertise in supporting young people are being invited to bid for contracts worth up to £2,200 for every young person they help. Support will be tailored to suit individuals’ needs, and will include basic skills training and interview practice.

4.Payment-by-results will free the charities to do what they know works for young people. Tightly controlled schemes are less effective with lower success rates. The package of support offered will be encouraged to be innovative, to use new methods, to do whatever is right to get that 16 or 17-year-old earning or learning again. Research from the National Foundation for Employment Research (NfER) in 2009 showed that 40 per cent of 16- and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training face significant barriers to re-engagement once they fall out of the system. They have a greater likelihood of long-term disengagement: http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/research/projects/experiences-young-people-neet/experiences-young-people-neet_home.cfm

5.Local authorities will be central to the success of the programme. They will work with successful providers to target those young people in their area who will benefit most, fitting this programme with other provision on offer locally.

6.Organisations that bid will be expected to demonstrate the following:

a) A successful track record in delivering support to young people from a variety of backgrounds.

b) Strong working relationship with local authorities and organisation that have a role in supporting young people e.g. Jobcentre Plus, Youth Offending Teams, Employers, Local Health Services etc.

c) Organisational capacity to deliver the programme including details of how many young people they plan to reach and across which region.

d) Competitive break down of cost associated with supporting each young person, up to a maximum of £2,200.

Payment by results will be a key element of this programme. There will be three payment points:

a) An initial payment when a young person has begun the programme and an action plan has been agreed.

b) A re-engagement payment when the young person enters one of the re-engagement outcomes (3-6 months after the initial payment).

c) A sustainability payment when the young person has been engaged in one of the sustainability outcomes for six months from the date of re-engagement.