Scotland's Economy

Making young people your business

August 30, 2013 by John Swinney MSP No Comments | Category Economy

Today, the First Minister and I updated colleagues at today’s meeting of the Council of Economic Advisors on Make Young People Your Business week –  the Scottish Government’s campaign calling on employers – of all sizes, in all sectors and from across all of Scotland –  to invest in young people and grow their business.

The week kicked off on Monday with the announcement that WebHelp TSC will create 70 new youth jobs in Glasgow under a new pre-employment training initiative, helping young people who have struggled to get their first job.

Scottish and Southern Electricity announced that they’re starting 100 Modern Apprentices across Scotland this week and new figures show that we are well on the way to meeting our commitment of 25,000 new apprenticeship starts in 2013/14.

From my regular contact with employers around the country I know there’s an appetite to support unemployed young people. Many businesses have gone the extra mile to give a young person a job or work experience, because they recognise how an able young person can help their business grow.

Making young people our business is about ensuring that Scotland’s workforce is making the most of young talent. It makes good business and economic sense, and brings returns in terms of commitment and loyalty. Young people bring creativity and fresh approaches and their adaptability helps enhance productivity.

The FSB has produced some excellent research that tells us that small businesses have significant potential for jobs growth and many firms are keen to grow by supporting young people into jobs.

But I don’t expect firms to do this on their own. There is help out there to tap into our enthusiastic pool of young workers, help like getting half the wage for the first six months of a new job for a young person.

Research also shows that Scottish employers are more likely to take on a young employee than other nations in the UK, and Scotland has made good progress on reducing youth unemployment.

But we still have a job to do.

So my message to employers is this: think about the benefits that recruiting a young person could bring to your business. Have a look at the help available at www.ourskillsforce.co.uk and take advantage of what’s on offer. Follow the campaign’s twitter account @MYPYB and keep up to date on ideas and information on help available.

Making young people our business is central to a successful economy and country.

Tags: Council of Economic Advisors, FSB, Make Young People Your Business, successful economy, work experience

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