Southampton employers to take on 100 apprentices (From This is Hampshire)

Southampton employers to take on 100 apprentices

9:30am Tuesday 9th February 2010 in

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MORE than 100 jobless youngsters in South- ampton have secured apprenticeships and placements in a back-to-work scheme.

Local employers such as the City Council, hospitals, university, and other training organisations, have teamed up to create the “jobs” through a £1.8m Government grant.

The cash, from the Government’s Future Jobs fund, is to target the rising number of 18 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training by giving them the skills to find work.

More than 2,000 youngsters in Southampton have been unemployed for the past half year, with more than 450 claiming jobseekers’ allowance for at least six months.

Communities Secretary and Southampton Itchen MP John Denham has demanded to know why the city council had recruited fewer apprentices than the national average. A snapshot survey by his department suggested English councils were hiring one apprentice for every 248 employees.

Southampton City Council had recruited just one for every 275 staff, while Hampshire County Council is taking on one apprentice for every 184 staff.

The minister said: “Councils should be making use of the Government funding available to help people now.”

Southampton City Council said it had recruited about 20 apprentices in the past year, with another 30 expected to join by the middle of next year.

The jobs fund will create up to 274 jobs in Southampton by 2011.

The funding will pay for 88 one-year and ten six-month apprenticeships with annual salaries of between £12,000 and £14,000 leading to NVQ level three qualifications. There will also be 176 half-year job placements paying minimum wages for a 25-hour week.

Councillor Royston Smith, Cabinet member for economic development, said: “All our young people want is a chance to show what they can do and this is helping them to do that.”