Caerphilly County Borough firms taking on young workers are to be offered wage subsidies by the UK Government earlier than previously announced, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said.
Speaking in London at CBI jobs summit yesterday, Mr Clegg said the subsidy of £2,275 per person, equivalent to half the minimum wage, will start at six months instead of nine months.
The money is part of the Government’s £1 billion Youth Contract launched last autumn.
Caerphilly is one of 20 youth unemploymet hotspots, including Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil, targeted by the scheme.
Mr Clegg said: “Three months can make all the difference.
“When you feel like your banging your head against a brick wall, when you live in an area where opportunities are already few and far between, another 12 weeks of rejection letters, of being cut off, of sitting at home waiting, worrying, that can seriously knock the stuffing out of you, making it extremely difficult to pick yourself up.
“So jobcentres will be able to make use of the subsidy before people are referred to the Work Programme, capitalising on their links with local employers, and they’ll also intensify support, so more training, more regular coaching, spending more time with young people to knock a CV into shape or prep ahead of an interview.”