Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has backed the findings of a report published today on Youth Unemployment and the Future Jobs Fund. The report has been published following an inquiry by the influential Work and Pensions Select Committee of the House of Commons.

Catherine said:

“In previous recessions, unemployed young people in Newcastle and across the North East were simply abandoned by the Tory Government, who chose to leave them on the scrapheap.

“Labour introduced a deliberate policy of investing in our young people during the most recent economic downturn through the £1billion Future Jobs Fund, which would have resulted in 3,000 jobs for young people across the North East. This is particularly important in our region where around 1 in 3 16-24 year olds are out of work.

“The decision by this Conservative-led Government to scrap the Fund a year early has been rightly criticised by the Work and Pensions Committee, who are concerned that young people are now facing a potential gap in the support available to them to find work.

“With a strong interest in this area, I am also particularly pleased by the Committee’s recommendation that the Government should use apprenticeships funding to provide opportunities for young people who lack skills and experience and who face significant obstacles to finding work.