Employers across Britain will get £1,000 for taking on a young person who is struggling to find work.
Additional free pre-employment training packages will also get young recruits off to a flying start through the Care First Careers initiative announced at the end of January by Care Services Minister, Phil Hope and Work and Pensions Minister, Jim Knight.
Care First Careers is part of the Government’s young person’s guarantee that everyone between the ages of 18 and 24 who has been looking for work for six months will get a job offer, work experience or training. It makes £75million available to fund up to 50,000 jobs.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “The population of Britain is ageing. For the first time we have more over 65s than under 18s. The Government is planning a new National Care Service to meet the growing demand for adult care – we need to get the next generation of care staff in place now.
“Care services offer challenging and rewarding careers, from managing care homes to supporting older and disabled people to live independently in their own homes. I hope Care First Careers will encourage more young people to consider a future in care and help give them the leg-up they need to get started.”
The scheme is administered by Jobcentre Plus whose front line advisors are primed to promote adult social care as a key route into work for unemployed 18-24 year olds.
To support the introduction of Care First Careers, a series of 11 regional launch events will take place in January and February 2010 throughout England, Scotland and Wales. These will involve inviting adult social care employers from each region to learn more about the scheme and employing young people in general.
To find out more about the scheme and to learn how to apply for the subsidy, employers can visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/carefirstcareers.
Employers can visit www.carejobfinder.org to find potential recruits.
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