Rise in out of work and out of education youngsters will damage country

The news comes a just a week after the youth unemployment rate reached 20.5%, its highest since comparable records began in 1992. The union said the decision to scrap the EMA and Future Jobs Fund, as well as tripling the price of tuition fees, would make it much harder for young people to get the skills needed to find jobs and realise their potential.
 
Responding to today's figures, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'At a time when youth unemployment is at its highest in years the government's decision to scrap initiatives such as the Future Jobs Fund and to remove pathways to learning such as the EMA could come back and haunt this country.
 
'Education is a key social and economic driver and can help young people develop the necessary skills to find jobs and realise their potential. Instead of erecting barriers to study, such as tripling the cost of tuition fees, the government should be following the example of other countries and be investing in education, not cutting the very services young people need.'