Backing Young Britain

• From today every young person who is unemployed for six months will be guaranteed the offer of a job, training or work experience.

• Work and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper said:
  
  "The extra investment has already been critical to keeping unemployment 450,000 lower than expected. But despite the latest welcome fall in unemployment, now is the time to increase help not cut it back. We need to make sure young people do not suffer the scarring effects of long term unemployment."

• The Young Person's Guarantee is starting now, as the school leavers and graduates of last summer who couldn't find work because of the recession start to approach six months unemployment. The guarantee will be supported by up to 470,000 opportunities over the next 15 months. Ministers are promising government support to businesses who Back Young Britain by offering a job, apprenticeship or internship.

• The Tories offer a gamble, not a guarantee, to young people. They refused to support our £5 billion investment in getting people back to work. They also refused to support our school leaver's guarantee and our plan to raise the education and training age to 18.