Apprentice campaign brings hope (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Apprentice campaign brings hope

8:37am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Our View By Telegraph & Argus

The number of young people unemployed in some parts of Bradford is a ‘tragedy’, in the words of Council leader Ian Greenwood, and it is difficult to argue with the use of the word.

In some parts of the district, more than one in four young people are claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance – twice the national average.

That is a statistic that it is very hard to accept, and that is why the work that is being done to get people onto apprenticeship schemes, with the launch of the Telegraph & Argus-backed 100 Apprenticeships in 100 Days scheme is vital for the city.

No one is suggesting that creating 100 apprenticeships will suddenly make a huge difference to this appalling problem. But a start has to be made somewhere, and by encouraging firms across the district to take on young people through apprenticeship schemes, this campaign is a step in the right direction.

It will not only bring some of these young people into work, but it will also help create the skilled workforce needed to help steer businesses back into calmer waters as the economy begins to recover. In the meantime, though, the impact on these communities is devastating.

It is obviously part of the wider economic crisis which is impacting on everybody at the moment, although sadly the more deprived areas do seem to be the ones hardest hit.

There is a danger of a lost generation of young people left out of work by the recession, which is another reason why the 100 in 100 Campaign could prove so valuable.

Young people put on apprenticeship schemes will not only learn a trade, they will also learn how to interact in a work situation.

Hopefully local firms will get behind the 100 in 100 scheme and help make a small impact in the appalling level of unemployment among our young people.