Youth unemployment is at an all time high and a lack of support and employment opportunities for young people who have left school is hurting some of our most vulnerable young people.
There are 24,000 New Zealand teenagers under the age of 20, who are not engaged in any form of work, education or training.
It is therefore imperative to ensure that young people have access to the skills and training that they need to further themselves in life.
Labour’s Youth Skills package focuses on these teenagers who may otherwise be forgotten and aims to ensure that every young person under the age of 20 in New Zealand is either earning or learning
Our comprehensive package, launched at the beginning of September, comprises 12 initiatives to enable young people to successfully transition from secondary schools into further study, training or employment.
The policies are divided into two separate stages, the first of which is dedicated to Secondary School and School Leavers and involves more resources and tools in schools to help young New Zealanders develop the right skills or determine the right training for a career.
We will also invest in establishing a Youth Transitions Network to ensure that every school leaver has a plan for further training, education or work.
The second component of our Youth Employment package, Skills and Jobs focuses on providing young New Zealanders with opportunities to develop the skills and qualifications that prospective employers may be looking for through further training.
New job opportunities
We are also helping prospective employers create jobs for young people by transferring the dole payment a young person who is not engaging in education or training may receive to an employer who can offer a teenager an apprenticeship.
This is the equivalent of $8727 subsidy, and we estimate that this policy alone could help 9000 unemployed young New Zealanders enter areas of employment, which have been identified as targeted growth industries
Our Youth Unemployment Policy includes $80 million for additional 5000 free training places for 16 and 17 year olds. These places will enable students to undertake three years study, primarily up to Level 3 tertiary qualifications at Polytechnics and Private Training Establishments.
By ensuring that every young person is earning or learning, we hope to give the youth the opportunity to extend themselves whilst contributing to our economy.
Giving our young people a future that they can own is a vital part of Labour’s vision.
Jacinda Arden is Member of Parliament on Labour List and the Party’s Spokesperson for Employment & Youth Affairs. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink ©
