Labour youth policy will dip into dole money...

 

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  Labour leader Phil Goff - Source: Q + A

• Related

  • National welfare reform plan sparks criticism watch
  • Key's 'radical policy' to target teen beneficiaries watch

Labour youth skills and employment package unveiled today will cut spending on the dole and redirect millions to fund apprenticeships.

Labour will reprioritise $80 million from existing schemes, with $58 million going to the apprenticeship subsidy instead of dole payments.

It will be funded out of revenue from Labour's tax plan.

The party proposes converting dole payments into a $8700 subsidy to fund 9000 additional apprenticeship places. Dole payments would be converted into incentives for employers to take on additional apprentices.

The package will cost $251 million over four years, starting before young people leave school and Labour claims it will see teens earning or learning within three years.

Leader Phil Goff said youth unemployment is too high.

"Our young people represent more of our total unemployment numbers than in any other OECD country," he said.

"This is a ticking time-bomb and has to be fixed. These kids are our future but at the moment they are being left on the scrapheap."

He said if something is not done now the New Zealand Institute estimates the cost of disengaged youth is $900 million a year.

Goff said Labour will also adopt ideas from the old Maori Trade training programme and apply them to Maori and Pasifika communities. The party also aims to build on proven programmes such as Gateway, the youth transition service, tertiary high schools and trades academies, and the Conservation Corps.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister John Key unveiled welfare reforms which take a hard line on unemployed youth and solo parents who do nothing to find a job.

National's policy would involve cash bonuses paid to private organisations and putting controls on teenage beneficiaries in terms of how they can spend their welfare money, while also offer them more mentoring and support to get back into work.

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern said Key is targeting a small group of unemployed and ignoring the majority.
She said he has targeted 1600 young people rather the other 58,000 people who are not in jobs, education or training.

National doesn't have a youth policy - its an anti welfare policy! National doesn't have an employment policy; its an anti-welfare policy!

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