Bristol young unemployed offered new apprenticeships

As new figures showed youth unemployment on the rise again, Bristol City Council has offered 30 new apprenticeships, described as “crucial” for the city’s young people.

Vacancies on offer include apprenticeships in business administration, adult social care, highways and traffic technical support and customer service.

Each young person will typically be required to attend college one day a week to study for a relevant qualification with a local training provider.

Leader of Bristol City Council, Councillor Barbara Janke, said: “National figures show that unemployment has hit young people particularly hard. Continuing with our apprenticeship scheme is therefore crucial to help a new generation of young people develop the skills and experience they need to continue in the workplace.”

Yesterday, the Office for National Statistics revealed the number of unemployed 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK increased by 52,000 in the three months to November 2011 to 1.04 million, or 22.3% of that age group.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government took “absolute responsibility” for “everything that happens in the economy”.

“Any increase in unemployment is disappointing and it’s obviously a tragedy for the person who becomes unemployed and can lead to real difficulty for that family and that is why we are taking so much action to try and help people to get back into work,” he said.

But Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the Government was “complacent and out of touch.”

Mr Cameron highlighted apprenticeships as a key tool in reducing unemployment. In Bristol, 71 apprentices have now successfully completed the council’s apprenticeship programme. Of these, 47 have progressed to jobs with various organisations before the end of their contract, 41 of these securing full-time work with Bristol City Council.

Nella Stokes, Vice Principal at City of Bristol College, said: “Current unemployment rates among young people are worryingly high, so the Bristol Partnership is seeking to reduce the figures on a local level through the Backing Young Bristol campaign. Offering apprenticeships is an important way of supporting the training and employability of young
people.”

Current vacancies are open for applications on the council jobs website at www.jobs.bristol.gov.uk  The closing date for applications is Friday, February 3 and placements will start in mid-April. Placements run for 22 months and include NVQ training to support work experience gained.