Barnet Council launches £1m jobs fund

Some £1 million is to be spent on the Barnet Skills, Employment and Enterprise Action Plan.

The policy will seek to help 16 to 24-year-old residents by giving them a taste of full-time employment. It means youngsters staying in property to rent in Barnet can expect to see opportunities to join the workforce increase.

Businesses in the borough who take on young people as interns or apprentices will be given financial support. It is hoped this scheme will incentivise more firms to offer younger people jobs.

Barnet Council leader Richard Cornelius, said: "Barnet is a prosperous place that is doing better than many other parts of the UK. But we can't ignore the fact that the UK economy looks likely to face several very difficult years and I want to make sure that when an upturn finally comes, we don't have a lost generation who won't have their all important first jobs on their CVs."

He added the co-ordinated public sector plan will go some way to tackling the problem of youth unemployment.

Councillor Andrew Harper, Barnet's cabinet member for education, children and families, praised the quality of schools on offer in the area. He went on to note there needs to be a commitment to helping residents find positions once they have finished their education.

It comes after the council revealed over £1 million is to be invested in children's music services. The Music Education Hubs will ensure all five to 18-year-olds will be offered teaching regardless of their background.

The initiative acts as another indication of how seriously learning is taken in the borough. Mr Harper remarked the Institute of Education got in contact to ask them to share their expertise with other boroughs.

Across the UK, some £171 million is going to be invested by Arts Council England over a three-year period in an effort to create 122 Music Education Hubs. They are expected to be fully functional by August. 

Published 7th June, 2012

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