Title : KEY ROLE FOR SECTOR IN £1BN JOBS SCHEME- Issue No
535
- 29 Apr 09
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THE third sector is set to play a major role in a £1bn government jobs programme that will see young people encouraged to take on socially responsible positions.
UK secretary of state for work and pensions James Purnell this week called on voluntary organisations and social enterprises to create jobs that can be filled by young people as part of the Future Jobs Fund, which was announced in the recent budget.
The fund is expected to support 150,000 UK jobs for people under 24 and hard to employ groups in the public and third sectors, with an emphasis on making Britain a better place and improving local communities.
The government has said it will work with councils and voluntary groups on developing new jobs so that by January next year every 18 to 24 year old who is approaching 12 months’ unemployment or more will be guaranteed a new job.
Discussing the fund this week, Purnell said: "We’ll offer people help from day one, but there’s going to be that guarantee that no one will be unemployed for more than a year without an offer of a job or training or work experience.
"And really that’s to make sure that we don’t repeat some of the mistakes of the 1980s where previously generations were left without any hope and were written off – we don’t want to write off a generation we want to make sure that they get offered real hope.
"We’re looking for councils, for voluntary organisations and for social enterprises to come forward with ideas for good projects and real jobs, which will make sure that we can offer real hope to young people, but also do some real good in our communities."
The fund was welcomed this week by third sector organisations.
Lucy McTernan, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (SCVO) deputy chief executive, represented the sector at the Welfare to Work Scotland convention this week. The convention saw the Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy, and Scotland’s cabinet secretary for education and life-long learning, Fiona Hyslop, and key stakeholders debate how to tackle unemployment.
McTernan said the government’s faith in the third sector echoed SCVO’s own call for a community-based option for welfare reform during the recession.
"We’ve been asking government to help the sector to respond to rising unemployment since the start of the recession through a scheme that will also benefit communities," said McTernan.
"The Future Jobs Fund gives us that opportunity and I look forward to working at pace with voluntary organisations – large and small – and with Scottish and UK governments to make the most of it for the people we all serve".
Laurie Russell, chief executive of the Wise Group, one of Scotland’s biggest third-sector employment bodies, also spoke at the convention.
Discussing the Future Jobs Fund, he said: "When unemployment topped three million we were set up to provide a stepping stone back to employment and it’s a testament to our way of working and our staff that we have helped more than 25,000 people find a job."
"The need for agencies such as the Wise Group is even more relevant today and it’s crucial that these new government funds are made available to social enterprises such as the Wise Group. We are more effective in delivering employment services because we care about the individual as whole."
Across the UK, the fund is set to provide 50,000 jobs in the care sector and 50,000 jobs dedicated to other growth sectors, such as hospitality. It will also include training places lasting up to six months and community work placements.
Want to know more?
www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/Projects/FutureJobsFund.aspx
www.dwp.gov.uk/futurejobsfund
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