Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a major change for young people in the UK, guaranteeing jobs for those who have been unemployed for over 18 months and making it easier to access apprenticeships or on-the-job training.
In a social media post, Burnham said he is making it "easier" to source apprenticeships or on-the-job training. He said: "Everyone deserves a fair shot. But right now, nearly a million young people aren't in education, work or training. That's a huge amount of talent going to waste."
"And it's not because young people don't have the ambition. Too often, the opportunities just haven't been there. So we're changing that. We're guaranteeing jobs for young people who've been unemployed for over 18 months."
New opportunities for young people
Burnham added: "If you want an apprenticeship, we're making it easier for businesses to give you one. If you want to learn new skills and get into work, we're making sure there are more routes to do that."
"If you've been written off we're providing more support to get that first foot in the door. I know there's more to do and this generation has so much to offer."
The announcement follows the government's previous confirmation that 40,000 young people across the UK will be offered opportunities and employment in skilled defence careers every year by 2030, rising to 50,000 by 2035.
Defence and economic measures
This is part of the biggest ever agreement between government and business to expand routes into work, apprenticeships and training for young people in defence.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This government has delivered the biggest sustained increased in defence spending since the Cold War, to strengthen our deterrence and defend against evolving threats."
"We are using that investment to create new opportunities for young people, both because it is a moral emergency that a million young people are out of work or education and because without creating good, well-paid, high-skilled jobs in defence industries, we cannot keep our country safe."
Chancellor John Healey also announced a package to help people into work, education and training. It will see the National Wealth Fund used to create and support 130,000 jobs across the UK, expanding local apprenticeship services to connect more young people with employers.
The package will also restore the Union Learning Fund with £15 million a year to help people build new skills.
