Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 10th October

Youth unemployment has always been one of the toughest sectors of the job market to tackle; for those aged 18-24 not in employment, education or training it can be hard to find the help that they need to get on in life. However, I am thrilled to see that there is so much assistance to help the next generation coming through, and yesterday I was proud to attend the celebratory graduation event of 'Make Your Mark' in Swindon – an employability programme run by Marks & Spencer in partnership with the Prince's Trust.

'Make Your Mark' is a training and job placement scheme which aims to tackle the skills and experience gap that often presents a barrier to employment for some young people. The course is open to anyone aged between 16 and 25 and is aimed at providing vital customer service skills and the chance to work in retail. Those who complete the programme then go onto receive further support in helping to find a job, with many getting the opportunity to stay working with M&S.

We can never be complacent with youth unemployment, but thankfully here in North Swindon we have seen a dramatic fall of 44.6% since 2010 and in the last 12 months a staggering 930 new apprenticeships start. Local businesses have done a fantastic job collectively to tackle youth unemployment head on. They have also thrown support behind the new University Technology College which will make a great contribution towards equipping young people in Swindon with valuable vocational skills.

The Government has also done well to provide incentives for young people and employers to take on apprentices and train the next generation of workers. These includes the 'AGE 16 to 24 Grant for Employers', which looks to provide support to businesses in order to recruit 16-24 year olds into employment through the Apprenticeship programme. Measures like this will provide huge encouragement to employers to hire young people who find themselves leaving education.

Praise must also be heaped onto the Prince's Trust who help run & fund the 'Make Your Mark' scheme alongside M&S. They also do a great deal to help other local organisations in Swindon, like Inner Flame, who work to install confidence & help young people find sustainable employment.

Recently the Prime Minister has promised to deliver an extra 3 million apprenticeships across the UK in a bid to abolish youth unemployment once and for all. Locally I am really proud to represent a town which has so many businesses and charities alike who are all coming together to tackle this problem. I will continue to support them and the Government with the ultimate aim to obliterate youth unemployment completely.