Government creates 47,000 jobs for unemployed youth

The government has announced plans to create 47,000 new public sector jobs in a bid to curb unemployment among school and university leavers.

The jobs, which include sports coaches, tree planters, teaching assistants and carers, will be aimed at 18 to 24 year olds who have been out of work for at least 12 months.

Councils and charities will be able to bid for money from a £1 billion pot, to fund the jobs.

Work Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We must not turn our backs on young people, we must help them get that first chance.

“Many young people were denied the help they needed in the recessions of the 80s and 90s, ending up out of work for months and years.

“Too many never got a start in the jobs market.”

Young people who decline the jobs will not be allowed to claim Job Seeker’s Allowance.

The Conservatives said the number of proposed jobs is insufficient given the scale of youth unemployment.

Right-wing thinktank the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “The last thing we need is yet more public sector non-jobs.”

Unemployment hit 2.3 million in May, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics.

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