The coalition government plans to launch a new “traineeship” scheme, which is intended to ensure that 16-to-24 year olds are ready for the world of work.
It has just published a discussion paper laying out its “vision” for the initiative and is asking employers and training providers to comment on the proposals before the fine details are released later this year.
The aim of the six-month programme, which is expected to start in September and run on a full-time basis, is to equip young people with the necessary skills to go into full apprenticeships or to get jobs. It will be funded by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The move follows complaints from employers about poor standards of literacy, numeracy, communication and problem-solving skills among school leavers, who are to be given a crash course in such subjects as well as help in writing CVs and preparing for interviews.
Matthew Hancock, the skills minister, said: “We want to support everyone in our country to reach their personal best. To do that, we are introducing traineeships to help young people with the skills they need to get a job, and hold down a job. That’s vital for our economy to compete in the global race.”
According to official figures from the DfE, more than one million (17%) young people were officially classed as not in education, employment or training in the third quarter of 2012. The figure has risen by 100,000 compared with the same three months in 2007, before the credit crunch took place.
