Today, the First Minister and I updated colleagues at today\u2019s meeting of the Council of Economic Advisors on Make Young People Your Business week –\u00a0 the Scottish Government\u2019s campaign calling on employers \u2013 of all sizes, in all sectors and from across all of Scotland –\u00a0 to invest in young people and grow their business.<\/p>\n
The <\/em>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.<\/p>\n Scottish and Southern Electricity announced that they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n From my regular contact with employers around the country I know there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Making young people our business is about ensuring that Scotland\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But I don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But we still have a job to do.<\/p>\n