Tory plans for NEETs

TORIES have promised to plough £100million into getting teenagers living a “Vicky Pollard”-lifestyle into work-based learning — including more than 700 in Oldham.

Leader David Cameron said creating more apprenticeships would help tackle the “social breakdown”.

Latest figures show there are 720 Oldham teenagers, aged aged 16-18, not in education employment or training (NEETs).

Government insists “nearly half” of those could be between jobs, on gap years or young mothers looking after children and that there are not all like teenage delinquent Vicky Pollard in hit TV comedy “Little Britain”.

Last night, shadow skills secretary David Willetts said a £100 million fund would be spent solely on tackling Britain’s NEETs.

The report said: “We will target special help at the many young people who leave school only to find themselves not in any kind of education, training or employment. We desperately need ways of helping this group into positive work-oriented learning opportunities.”

In addition, almost 100,000 apprenticeships would be created. It would mean 17,723 additional places across the North-West, he claimed.

The plans would see businesses offered a £2,000 bonus for taking on apprentices.

Group training associations would be given funding to help small firms such as plumbers and electricians work together when offering training.

Mr Willetts said: “Our recommendations are aimed at improving social mobility. We want to provide more opportunities, particularly to young men, to get them off the streets and on their way in life.”

But last night skills Secretary John Denham said the Conservative proposals would cut the number of apprenticeships compared with what Labour had promised.

He said: “Their plans are less ambitious than Labour plans to create 150,000 new apprenticeships and they would waste millions paying for apprenticeships that are already being completed.”

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas added: “The Tories seem to be living in the 1950s.

“There are more apprenticeships than they are promising. Recently North West United Utilities announced even more apprenticeships. Companies are years ahead of them.”