Centrepoint welcomes plans for more investment to engage 16 and 17 year-olds
21 Feb 2012
Centrepoint’s Director of Policy, Balbir Chatrik
Government plans outlined today (Tuesday 21 February) by Deputy
Prime Minister Nick Clegg to invest an additional £126m to help 16
and 17 year olds who not in education, employment or training have
been welcomed by leading youth homelessness charity
Centrepoint.
Only 20 per cent of the 1,200 16-25 year-olds the
charity works with across London and the north east each year have
between one and four GCSE passes - the national average is 70 per
cent - while 14 per cent have no qualifications
whatsoever.
Centrepoint is determined to help more homelessness young people
access employment through its Workwise programme, which includes
teaching young people how to communicate effectively and what is
expected of you at work, access to a mentor who can provide
informal guidance and support, and a minimum of a two-week work
placement with one its corporate partners.
Centrepoint's Director of Policy and Participation, Balbir
Chatrik, said: 'With 1.2 million young people not in education,
employment or training urgent action is needed to avoid storing up
social and economic costs for the future.
'Extra money to support 16 and 17 year olds is welcome news but
it is important that this money is used to offer young people
genuine opportunities to realise their potential, not just
unsuitable training or work placements that offer little in the way
of value to either young people or taxpayers.
'It is crucial that the lessons of the government's work
programme are learned, and that the expertise of charity and other
specialist providers who already work with young people on a
day-to-day basis is harnessed to achieve the best results.'