As the national unemployment rate has continued to trend upwards, Australia’s youth have continued to be hit the hardest – with 284,700 young Australians in jobless queues.

 

The Abbott Government has presided over the highest youth unemployment rate since the mid ‘90s.

 

It is clear that urgent action is needed to avoid this generation slipping into disadvantage.

 

Labor understands that without a successful transition from study to work, young people will experience life-long employment disadvantage.

 

That is why Labor is pleased to announce the first part of our plan to tackle youth unemployment: Youth Jobs Connect.

$21 million will be provided to pilot Youth Jobs Connect in locations of high youth unemployment to help 3,000 young people  move from unemployment to work.

 

Training in core employability skills – reliability, communication, self-management and willingness to learn– along with basic literacy and numeracy when needed, will provide the foundation skills for young people to find and keep a job.

 

There will be a focus on developing strong links with local employers to provide young people with work experience and employment opportunities in their business.

 

Through work experience young people will get a practical understanding of what employers expect and what career the young person could pursue.

 

Young people will receive tailored careers advice and coaching that relates to local labour market conditions and ensures they make informed decisions about the training they might need to find and keep a job.

 

Young people are crucial for Australia’s future, however young people who are not either earning or learning risk long-term disadvantage.

 

Labor has continually called on the Abbott Government to present a jobs plan for Australians, they have failed to do so.

In the last Budget, Tony Abbott announced plans to punish young people who can’t find a job. His changes to Newstart would have made unemployed people under 30 forced to live for six months without any income.

The Liberal Government would rather sentence young people to a cycle of poverty than invest in the skills they need to find and keep a job.

Youth Jobs Connect will be delivered as part of the Commonwealth’s employment and training commitments and mutual obligation will apply to participants.

Youth Jobs Connect builds on the principles underpinning the well-regarded Youth Connections program that was discontinued by this short-sighted government.

The pilot Youth Job Connect has been costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office and will have a fiscal impact of $21 million.

FRIDAY, 8 MAY 2015

 

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