Making the first year count
Improving the position of young people in the jobs market
'A young person's first job is a crucial step on the road to building a career, but all too often employers are reluctant to take on someone without any experience.'
- John Cridland, the director-general of the CBI
To help incentivise employers to take a gamble on a young and less experienced person, the CBI is calling for:
- The introduction of a Young Britain Credit, which will reduce the cost of taking a chance on a young person by offsetting employer's National Insurance for the first year and freezing youth National Minimum Wage rates, which as a percentage of median wages for the age group are higher than the equivalent level for adults
- Investing in courses that help bridge the gap between school and apprenticeships to allow 16-18 year-old school leavers that lack the appropriate skills to take up training opportunities.
Mr Cridland added:
"The Government needs to make it as attractive as possible for firms to take a gamble on a young and less experienced candidate.
"Our proposal for a Young Britain Credit is a cost-effective way of incentivising companies to recruit jobless young people, and would give them that all-important foothold on the jobs ladder."
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