Youth employment scheme worth £60m launches in Scotland

A total of 13 local authorities across the South West of Scotland will receive a share of the cash, along with the Scottish Funding Council, the body that responsible for funding teaching and learning provision in Scotland, which has received nearly £28m. ??

Keith Brown, the Scottish Government's cabinet secretary for infrastructure, investment and cities, said the programme will support a wide range of activities that can help young people find employment and provide them with the skills that local employers are looking for.

?The £60m funding came from the European Commission’s Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), which aims to tackle youth unemployment across the European Union (EU).

It targets areas across the EU where youth unemployment levels reached 25 per cent or more based on 2012 figures. The money will cover a three-year period up until December 2018. ??

“The £60m YEI is a significant level of investment in a region which has faced high levels of youth unemployment over a number of years, particularly at the recession’s peak,” Brown said.

“While the most recent European youth employment figures show that Scotland compares well to a large number of member states we know that challenges remain.

??“The YEI again demonstrates the value of working with the European Commission to drive forward our economic growth.”

Roseanna Cunningham, cabinet secretary for fair work, skills and training, said that although youth unemployment levels in the country are falling, the government is not complacent.

“The investment being announced today will provide a fantastic boost to efforts to improve employment prospects in the area and should be welcomed by young people and employers alike,” she said.