IT training 'crucial' to the future of Britain

Young people are not getting the skills and experience they need

A new report is calling for "urgent action" to help the young British unemployed, including more IT-related commitment from the public and private sectors.

IT-related subjects figured among the recommendations of the Youth Employment Taskforce report published today by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Proactive campaigns to accelerate science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects are essential in reversing the disproportionate effect of the recession on young people getting jobs, and crucial for UK competitiveness, according to the report.

The focus on these subjects is among a number of proposals put forward to prevent a whole generation of 16 to 24 year-olds being "scarred by unemployment ".

"Young job-seekers are not getting the skills and experience they need to take the crucial first step onto the jobs ladder," said Kevin Green, REC chief executive.

"As a country we are not building the talent pipeline that we need to compete over the next decade."

Other practical recommendations include revamping careers services, and stimulating demand for new staff through streamlined National Insurance and benefits systems.

The report also suggests raising awareness of the changing employment landscape, and harnessing different routes into work, such internships and temporary assignments, to overcome the lack of work experience barrier in a highly competitive market.

"The direct cost of youth unemployment has been put at £4.7bn a year, and we know from previous recessions that significant periods of unemployment early in a young person's working life have serious consequences on their future job prospects," said Baroness Margaret Prosser, REC Taskforce chair and vice chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

However, Baroness Prosser added that, given the current economic climate, an increase in government spending is unlikely.

"What we do expect is for funding to be effectively targeted and to deliver real progress," she said.

"Employers, recruiters, welfare providers, trade unions and educationalists all have a critical role to play in addressing one of the greatest challenges facing our society."

The Taskforce brought together leading employers, recruiters and welfare providers, as well as professional organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the EEF manufacturers' organisation.