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Work pledge for jobless graduates

Gordon Brown yesterday announced that all new graduates still out of work after six months would have access to a “high quality” internship, training or help to become self-employed.

During Commons debate on the Queen’s Speech, the Prime Minister set out a series of measures to help the young unemployed.

Thousands of young people who have been unemployed for less than a year are now set to benefit from a guaranteed job or training, he said.

Mr Brown said that if the 1990s recession had been repeated, employment would have fallen by 1.7 million more than it had.

“No one can justify leaving young people out of work, in poverty and without hope for the future as happened in the 1980s under the Conservatives.”

New Government plans would ensure that “at no point” should young people be deprived “for any length of time” of the chance to train or work.

Mr Brown said: “Today I can announce that we will offer for the first time a January guarantee; from January all 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in employment, education and training who are without a place will be guaranteed a place in learning.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .