Stephen Morgan MP has today backed the Government’s new investment to provide training and work to young people who are neither earning nor learning in Portsmouth.
Labour has announced new measures to support 16-24-year-olds across Britain. By expanding its Youth Guarantee scheme with £820 million of new funding, the Government is tackling the problem and giving a brighter future to young people in Portsmouth.
Labour’s investment will pay for new Youth Hubs to be set up across local communities. Youth Hubs are centres that offer lifechanging support to young people, such as CV advice, skills training, mental health support, housing advice and careers guidance.
The package will also provide hundreds of thousands of new training and work experience placements for young people out of work and claiming benefits, and a new ‘Jobs Guarantee’ that fully subsidises six months of paid employment for 18-21-year-olds who are long-term unemployed on Universal Credit.
These measures will provide critical help for many of the over 1,300 young people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Portsmouth – enabling them to get on in life and contribute to the local economy.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South said:
“Whatever your background, or wherever you are from, I want to remove the barriers to opportunity for young people.
“For too long, Portsmouth’s young people have been held back, with over 1,300 currently stuck on benefits.
“That’s why I welcome this Government’s announcement that they will be investing a transformative £820 million into the futures of young people.
“This funding will be able to provide important opportunities for those out of work to turn their lives around.
“After the previous Government’s neglect, it is right that Labour turns the page on support for young people, ensuring through our Youth Guarantee that no young person in Portsmouth is left behind again.”
Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, said:
“Every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed. When given the right support and opportunities, they will grasp them.
“That’s why we are introducing a range of reforms to help young people take that vital step into the workplace or training and to go on and make something of their lives.
“This funding is a downpayment on young people’s futures and the future of the country, creating real pathways into good jobs and providing work experience, skills training and guaranteed employment.”
