The North West TUC Charter for Young People calls for:

• A Job Guarantee: The Government should guarantee paid work or training to every young person who has been out of work for six months or more.

• Action on Apprenticeships: All public bodies should commit to recruiting a set number of apprentices each year. Public sector contracts should encourage contractors to have a quality apprenticeship scheme.

• Quality Work Experience: Young people should have access to good quality work experience that includes a guarantee of both quality training and a job interview at the end of any placement.

• Welfare Reform: In the short-term, the Government should reform the rules on Jobseeker’s Allowance to allow young people to return to full time education without any loss of benefits. In the longer term, we need a Youth Credit (or other financial support) to help all young people boost both their learning and employment prospects.

• Practical support: We need extra measures to help young people stay in education and assist with transport costs to enable young people to travel to work.