Back in June 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg first spoke about the government’s idea of a training system for “teenagers who aren't ready for an apprenticeship".
"I know", he said in a speech at the CBI Jobs Summit on Youth Unemployment, "that one idea John Hayes, the Minister for Skills, is looking at is piloting a new ‘traineeship’; a package of training and work experience to get the basic, necessary skills, with a recognised qualification at the end of it, an extra rung on the ladder to get you on your way to an apprenticeship or job. Again, that help will be targeted in the areas most in need.
And more detail will be coming soon."
It's taken seven months, but here's the detail we've been waiting for. Or at least a bit of detail, anyway.
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has now officially announced plans for a traineeship initiative which could be in place by this September. It's aimed at 16-24-year-olds who haven't got at least a C in English and math GCSE, who aren't in education and who are having a hard time finding work.
“We want to support everyone in our country to reach their personal best,” he says.
“To do that, we are introducing traineeships to help young people with the skills they need to get a job, and hold down a job.
“That’s vital for our economy to compete in the global race. And it’s a question of fairness. Traineeships will give young people the helping hand and experience they need to compete for apprenticeships and good jobs.”
In short, then, some pre-apprenticeship training.
And about time, too - a CBI education and skills survey revealed that 61% of employers thought many young people lacked what was referred to as “work related skills and attitudes which they needed to sustain employment.”
That's a scary thought - nearly two-thirds of employers operating on that assumption.
But then again, how do you define "many young people"? Some employers would tar everyone with the same brush, and by refusing even to consider taking on anybody under the age of, say, 22, they could be missing out on the chance of building up a skilled workforce from the ground up.
And that would, of course, mean that for those employers, taking on an apprentice would be out of the question.
So this traineeship, then, could just change a few minds about young people (and apprenticeships) in general.
At present, the initiative is still in its formative stages, with a discussion document (not a formal consultation, it says, but rather a starting point for discussion), and Mr Hancock is keen to hear from providers, employers, other partners and young people themselves about what we can do together to ensure that this important project succeeds".
We'll be looking through that document and getting back to you about it in more detail - and in a lot less than seven months!
