This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Youngsters satisfied with New Deal
27/02/2002
An independent report published today finds high levels
of self-confidence, motivation, and commitment to training
and development among young people involved in New Deal
schemes.
The
Evaluation of New Deal for Young People in
Scotland also reveals that for those in jobs, satisfaction with
the job and with training were very high - with around 90%
of individuals reporting satisfaction.
Over 40,000 young people aged 18-24 have found work
through the New Deal in Scotland. Since its introduction in
May 1997, youth unemployment has fallen by 81%. It is
estimated that the successful performance of New Deal
contributes in the region of £50 million a year to the
Scottish economy.
The evaluation compares the success of the five options
available to young people. Whilst the Employment option is
probably the strongest performer overall in getting young
people into work, the Full Time Education and Training and
Environment Task Force options are successful in improving
the job opportunities for more disadvantaged people. They
are particularly successful in improving literacy and
numeracy skills.
The Voluntary Sector Option is particularly attractive
to young women and does well in improving their
employability.
The report also finds that:
- In Scotland, about one in six (16%) of New Deal
participants had experienced problems with literacy or
numeracy since the age of 16. When interviewed at stage
two only 9% of respondents reported problems
- Among Scottish respondents who had no
qualifications at the time of the stage one survey,
about 13% had obtained qualifications by stage two.
Among those who already had some qualifications a fifth
obtained further qualifications
- The Employment Option performs best in terms of
increasing chances of getting off Job Seekers Allowance
(JSA), staying off JSA and getting into jobs. Just
under three quarters (74.3%) were off JSA at February
2001
- For those in jobs both job satisfaction and
satisfaction with training were very high, with roughly
90% of individuals reporting satisfaction
- Participants felt that the help offered by the New
Deal Personal Advisers was the most positive aspect of
the programme. 70% of respondents in Scotland expressed
satisfaction with the help offered by the New Deal
Personal Adviser (NDPA) at the time of the stage 2
interview
The success of New Deal has raised new challenges in
meeting the needs of those hardest to help back into work.
A National Audit Office paper published today estimates
that 3,000 young people returned to a period of long term
unemployment.
The Executive has recognised the needs of the hardest to
help clients and is now providing tailored support for
them. The Evaluation backs the range of approaches under
the improved and more flexible approach taken by the New
Deal Next Phase Programme, launched in March last year.
These include:
Tailored Pathways - Flexible training/work
experience packages for young people, tailored to the needs
of local employers.
Progress2Work - Specialist support to help
clients with a history of drugs misuse.
StepUP - Offering a waged job to those who
have not succeeded in New Deal
Local Account Managers - Gathering local
labour market information and working with employers to
understand their long term recruitment and skills needs,
which will then be reflected in New Deal provision.
Advisors Discretionary fund - Up to £300
available to Personal Advisors to tackle the barriers which
clients face in taking up a job opportunity.
Increased focus on mentoring - Support
available to clients from mentors throughout their time on
New Deal.
Sectoral Initiatives - Focussing on 7 key
sectors of the economy: Construction; Energy; Financial,
IT; Public Sector/NHS; Retail; and Tourism/Hospitality.
Identifying the key skills required by employers, and to
work with training providers to develop courses that
address employers' needs.
Welcoming the report, Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong
Learning Minister Wendy Alexander said:
"New Deal has made a fundamental contribution to
improving the lives of thousands of young Scots. The report
published today stresses the success of a flexible and
varied approach to meeting the diverse needs of those
struggling to find a job. The tailored and dedicated
approach of New Deal Next Phase is critical to supporting
the efforts of
all jobseekers.
"The New Deal: Next Phase helps get people into jobs by
matching the skills and training needs of unemployed young
people with needs of employers.
"With the redesigned programme, New Deal Next Phase,
there is even more that can be achieved to reduce
unemployment black spots and assist an ever decreasing
harder to help client group into employment."
UK Work and Pensions Secretary Alistair Darling
said:
"The success of New Deal has helped give young people
the skills, confidence and motivation to help them find
work and improve their prospects of doing so, and we are
now seeing similar results among those aged 25 and
over.
"Without the New Deal thousands on young men and women
would have been stuck on the dole. The New Deal,
underpinned by a stable economy, is making a real
difference.
"We are constantly looking to build on New Deal's
success. That is why we have been making progress
introducing new measures to provide more help to those who
need it most."
The most recent independent evaluation of New Deal by
the National Institute of Economic and Social Research
confirmed that
- half the drop in youth unemployment since 1997 is
due to New Deal and half due to the strength of the
Scottish economy
- New Deal is generating £0.5 billion per annum
New Deal: Next Phase will deliver on commitments in the
Green Paper "Towards Full Employment in a Modern Society".
Published in March 2001, it set out a series of changes and
initiatives within the New Deal programme (known as 'New
Deal: Next Phase') designed to address harder to help
clients as unemployment rates fall and to focus on the
needs of employers in sectors where there are employment
opportunities