Official figures from the Office of National Statistics have indicated that the number of unemployed youths in the UK increased in the three months to December 2011.

During this period the number of young people without a job rose by 22,000, taking the total level to 1.04 million. This increase means that the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds has reached 22.2% for the UK. These figures are part of the total of 2.67 million unemployed across the UK, the highest the unemployment rate has been since 1995.

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “This record level of youth unemployment illustrates the importance training and apprenticeships in the current economic climate. With almost a quarter of all young people now unemployed the number of applicants per vacant role will be increasingly high. Young people should be encouraged to remain in education in at least some capacity to ensure the likelihood of finding work once they’ve completed their training increases.”

These latest unemployment figures comes in the wake of the SFA recommending that apprenticeship providers introduce a minimum 12-month duration for apprenticeships for 16-18-year-old. This announcement illustrates the SFA’s longing for the value of training and apprenticeships to be increased to help more young people find work once they’ve completed their education.