More slave labour for youth from Tories

Jobless young people will have to complete three months’ work experience to claim unemployment benefits, under plans unveiled by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and mayor of London Boris Johnson.

The new scheme will help “reduce benefit dependency” and enable young people to contribute to community projects while boosting their employability skills, ministers have said.

The pilot is aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds who have spent less than six months in work since leaving education, and will be trialled in London in a joint initiative between the DWP and the mayor’s office.

Management of the placements will be contracted out to providers — who are yet to be confirmed — and will include CV writing support, interview advice and job search assistance.

However, previous attempts by the government to make unpaid work experience a condition of receiving state benefits have proved controversial with employers dropping out of the Work Activity Scheme earlier this year.

www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2012/aug-2012/dwp093-12.shtml