Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has praised staff at Harrogate JobCentre at the close of a rowdy session of Prime Minister’s Questions earlier today (11 June 14)
Mr Jones’s comments came during his question to David Cameron about boosting training and apprenticeships to continue the fight against long-term youth unemployment.
Mr Jones’s question was sparked by news of a further dramatic fall in the number of unemployed across the United Kingdom and also in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The total number of people unemployed in Mr Jones’s constituency is 540. Of these only 50 are aged between 18 and 24. This represents a fall of 83 per cent in youth unemployment in Harrogate and Knaresborough since May 2010.
Mr Jones commented: These month on month falls are properly significant and also sustained. They represent positive news for all those starting their new jobs but also show that the staff at our JobCentre are doing an excellent job supporting people back in to the workplace. That is why I wanted to highlight their professionalism and success to the Prime Minister.
The question Mr Jones asked was: Youth unemployment in Harrogate and Knaresborough today stands at 50—that is not a percentage, but the total, and it is down 83 per cent since 2010. That clearly reflects the 2 million new private sector jobs created since then. Will my right hon. Friend be building on that success by providing more opportunities and skills for the young people in our area through more traineeships and apprenticeships?
The Prime Minister responded: My hon. Friend is absolutely right that even though 50 is a small number of young people to be unemployed in Harrogate, it is still 50 too many. Our ambition in the next Parliament should be to ensure that everybody has the chance either to go to university or to take on an apprenticeship and that we leave absolutely no one behind as they leave school and look for the stability and security that a future in work provides.
