Daily roundup: Apprenticeships, child abuse images, and life skills

Young people are facing stiff competition for apprenticeship places, with demand far outstripping supply, latest figures show. The Independent reports that 41 young people are applying for every plumbing position available. In total, nearly 370,000 people submitted online applications to the National Apprenticeship Service between February and April, an increase of 32 per cent on the same period in 2012. Vacancies also increased by 15 per cent, to almost 33,000, but demand is outstripping supply.

Google have been urged to restrict access to images of child abuse, after paedophile Mark Bridger was jailed for the murder of April Jones. The Guardian reports that John Carr, a government adviser on child internet safety, said it should be made more difficult to access hardcore pornography sites. He said he will be urging Google to take measures in a meeting with the company next week.

Students who are the first in their family to attend university are to work with local young people on community projects, as part of a new scheme launched by the National Children’s Bureau. The Life Skills Programme aims to help 14-to 17-year-olds build their skills and confidence. NCB participation and involvement manager Sophie Wood said many of the young people on the project do not aspire to attend further education or training but it is hoped that working with “first-generation students” will “inspire them to make positive choices."

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust has been forced to apologise to more than 150 parents of children, after it posted personal medical details to wrong addresses. The trust blamed an automatic enveloping machine for the data breach, which meant height and weight details of children with a healthy weight were sent to the wrong parents and carers. In a statement published by the Leicester Mercury, the health trust said: "Two letters instead of one were put into the same envelope by our automatic enveloping machine”. In total, more than 1,300 letters were sent out by the machine. The independent Information Commissioner is deciding whether to take action against the trust.

Essex community members are fighting to save a local youth club owned by the county council, the Saffron Walden Reporter reports. Almost 800 people have signed a petition to stop the council moving services for young people out of an historic building and into the council’s social services offices. The Croft youth club in Saffron Walden provides young people with sports activities, a recording studio and social activities. Youth club user Anna Percival, 14, told the Reporter the centre was like a “second home”.

And finally… the British Youth Council (BYC) has published a young people’s online guide to Europe to share information about international youth work. The guide is timed to coincide with European Youth Week 2013, and provides videos and signposting to funding, resources and information for young people. European Youth Week ends on Sunday.