Jobless young people in Britain who are currently depending on welfare will now be required to attend a series of "boot camps" in order to gain skills needed to acquire a job, according to a Cabinet Office Minister, Matt Hancock. The head of the newly created Earn or Learn Taskforce has stated that he was determined to end a "welfare culture" that has become embedded in the country's most vulnerable communities, according to The Independent.
The Earn or Learn Taskforce is tasked to set out plans for young jobseekers ages 18 to 21. The participants of the program will be required to attend an intensive three-week program that is aimed at helping them find employment, or training at least.
"By working across government to make sure that every young person is in work or training, by opening up three million more apprenticeships, expanding traineeships, and making sure that a life on benefits is simply not an option, we want to end rolling welfare dependency for good," Hancock said.
The boot camp will include intensive coaching on job applications and interview techniques. The 71-hour training will also teach the participants how to write a comprehensive and effective curriculum vitae, reports The Financial Times.
"We are absolutely committed to ending long-term youth unemployment and building a country for workers, where nobody is defined by birth and everyone can achieve their potential," Hancock further said.
Within a month of claiming their benefits, young people will be required to sign up for the program. If they refuse, their welfare benefits will be suspended.
The changes proposed by the plan will be fully enforced starting April next year.
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, believe that the changes might do more harm than good, however, as it risks stigmatizing young people that are otherwise already weighed down by government policies.
"This government is already hitting young people through cuts to further education colleges' budgets, increased university fees and the abolition of grants. This latest idea looks like little more than another attack on the very people we should be striving to help," she said.
"What young people need are politicians who have a plan to help them, not subject them to scapegoating. Rather than short-term gimmicks, our young people need a long-term commitment to proper guidance, meaningful educational opportunities and stable, properly rewarded jobs," she added.
Jobless claims have become an issue in a number of countries around the world, including the United States, which is covered in this HNGN article.
