A SERIES of measures to tackle youth unemployment in York will be considered by senior councillors this evening.

Ten recommendations are being put to City of York Council’s cabinet by a cross-party group of councillors who have spent a year scrutinising what can be done to help jobless young people into work.

The councillors – Andy D’Agorne, Anna Semlyen and Joe Riches – visited Job Centreplus and Work Programme providers to hear the experiences of young unemployed people, as well as the trainers helping them to apply for jobs.

Coun D’Agorne said: “We found that there are good reasons for there being fewer young people going into the care sector and business administration, including in the case of care the unsocial hours and transport issues.

“As someone who started work as a careers adviser in South Yorkshire in the 1980s, I appreciate how difficult it can be for long term unemployed people to get into secure, fulfilling work.

“York has a buoyant local economy but we cannot be complacent, and need a range of approaches to maintain our current low level of long-term unemployment,” he said.

The councillors have set a target to cut the number of unemployed people in the 18 to 24 age category by 40 per cent by 2016.

Some of their recommendations are already being put into practice, such as their call for a Jobs Fair held last October to become a twice-yearly event, with the next one now due to be held on May 22 at the Hilton Hotel.

The group has recommended that publicity for such events should be sent to local employers, along with information about the benefits of offering work experience.

The councillors felt more could be done to promote the success stories of young people who have been able to secure attractive jobs through work experience or apprenticeships, or who have set up their own businesses.

They said this could link in with The Press’ Foundation for Jobs initiative.

They called for more publicity about Government help towards the employment of jobless young people, and further work on the idea of concessionary bus passes to assist the long-term unemployed get jobs.

They also said the council itself should consider more work placements for unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds, and graduate and student interns.