Speaking at a debate at the Liberal Democrat party conference, Martin Narey said too many government training intiatives for unemployed people are targeted at over-18s.
"We cannot wait until young people are 18," he warned. "We need to be very concerned right now about what this recession has done to the employment of young people. There is a real and worrying gap for 16- and 17-year-olds. They are twice as likely to be unemployed as those aged 18 to 24 and four times as likely to be unemployed as the general workforce."
Jobcentre Plus must also improve the way it works with young people, Narey said.
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