Doubts have been cast on the Government’s strategy of providing apprenticeships to ease youth unemployment. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development claims that figures released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills show a drop in the take-up of all apprenticeships of 7.5% among 16–18 year-olds and 5.9% among 18–24 year-olds in the past 12 months. The figures coincide with the Culture Secretary’s announcement of 600 new jobs in the creative, cultural and sport sectors. A spokesperson for Creative & Cultural Skills, which will manage 200 of the new jobs, said that the cultural sector is attractive to young people, and that creative apprenticeships could “buck that trend”. The jobs will be for 18–24 year olds in member organisations of the National Skills Academy. A further 31 jobs will be managed by New Deal of the Mind, working with a Sixth Form College in East London and the performing arts and media centre Stratford Circus.
Published: 18-01-2010