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Yvette Cooper MP calls on employers to offer more support in getting young workers into the job market

Speaking at GovNet’s Welfare to Work 09 conference today, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions used the event to discuss her campaign to get young people into sustained employment.

She told delegates that investment being provided by the government is building a stronger economy as the country tries to come out of recession.

The Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP said £5bn additional funding, flexible working and extra training is helping get people back to work, but: “the government cannot do it alone. We need employers to do more. We are launching a campaign backing Britain and young people. We are encouraging people to give young people help – apprenticeships, internships or a bit of work experience. I urge organisations to Back Young Britain.”

The conference focused on access to work and training for young and disadvantaged people and the need to create sustained employment.

Lord David Freud, Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform expressed concern over government policy, such as the Flexible New Deal (FND), an initiative devised when the country was not in recession and with low unemployment in mind. In promoting the Conservatives’ Get Britain Working agenda, he said: “It is about delivery rather than policy. It is about coherent funding and that is going to be a challenge. We have got to set up proper frameworks.”

Other keynote speakers addressed issues of learning working, the FND, outreach to people with disabilities, supporting SMEs during the recession, local initiatives and challenges the labour market continues to face.

Tim Matthews, Remploy Chief Executive, said its organisation will help 10,000 people find sustained employment this year and build that to 20,000 in the future, helping those with mental health problems. “Remploy’s measures of success are not just the commercial benefits we bring to employers and communities but also the difference that sustained employment can make to individual lives.

“It is important that during the economic downturn we do not turn our backs on disadvantaged people and should instead be ensuring that they have the opportunity to play a full role in the economic life of the country.”

Susan Hayday, Director of Workplace Learning Strategy at Foundation Degree Forward, said it was not just about organisations getting people into employment but into long-term work. “What we are looking for is a workplace environment where people can learn and move within the workplace. We do not just want people to get into work - but to move through work.”

The government’s Back to Work White Paper will be published by the end of the year.