I’ll wipe out youth unemployment – mayoral candidate Conservative Andy Street reveals jobs plan
YOUTH unemployment could be wiped out across the West Midlands within three years, the region’s Conservative mayoral candidate has promised.
Former John Lewis boss Andy Street said that through increasing funding for apprenticeships and extending other youth training and job initiatives, the unemployment rate could be brought down to zero or near zero by 2020.
He is bidding to become the West Midland’s first ever elected mayor in May 2017 and promises to slash youth unemployment if he wins.
As chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) since 2011 he has been responsible for delivering growth and investment in the region and pointed out that Birmingham now had 6,000 fewer unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds than it did three years ago, half the total.
Over the same period Coventry and Walsall had also seen decreases of more than 60 per cent.
Mr Street said: “There is no point in having this position of mayor if we are not going to be ambitious and strive to change people’s lives.
“The West Midlands is on the up – this is demonstrated by our rising private sector employment, exports and inward investment.
“You only have to walk around Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry, see the developments under way, the jobs being created, to see this.
“But not everybody is sharing in this success. This must end and it must end now.
“A new job is a new chance in life whilst unemployment kills social mobility.”
He added that the Work Coaches programme, which was introduced by the GBSLEP had helped people into jobs.
“This demonstrates that the right intervention can make a positive difference, helping to halve youth unemployment in Birmingham over the last four years,” he said.
“As mayor I will not only secure further funding for apprenticeships from Government for young people across the Black Country, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry, I will also extend the Work Coaches programme across the whole Combined Authority area.
“I am determined that as mayor, by the end of my first three years, we will have a youth unemployment rate of near to zero, for the sake of our economic future.”
Also confirmed as running for mayor next year are Siôn Simon (Lab), Beverley Nielsen (Lib Dem) and James Burn (Green).
All three said they would introduce the Living Wage for staff and push contractors to do the same if elected.
The Green, Labour and Lib Dem candidates were responding to a call from the Trades Union Congress to ensure the West Midlands Mayor office is Living Wage accredited.
Sources close to Conservative candidate Mr Street said he would like to back it but wanted to look at the situation next year. 15,000