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| The Principal of Dundee College opens the National Convention on Youth Employment |
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending part of the National Convention on Youth Employment at Dundee College's Gardyne Campus, along with a large gathering of national and local politicians, major employers, JobCentre Plus, the further & higher education sectors and many others. The event was organised by the Scotland Office.
Tackling youth unemployment is a major challenge for both the Westminster and Scottish Governments and it was refreshing to see Ministers from both governments speaking on the same platform and emphasising the close working relationship between the two governments on this vital issue.
I heard three of the Ministerial presentations - by Mike Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, Iain Duncan Smith MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth - and all spoke in a positive way about what their government is doing to create youth employment and their willingness to co-operate to ensure that public expenditure on this vital area is best-spent by each government.
The Youth Contract gives a package of support worth almost £1 billion to help young unemployed people prepare for work and find a job. Yesterday's event underlined the need to do all we can to support young people find good employment opportunities.