Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       is extremely concerned by the current levels of youth unemployment both in Sheffield and nationally, and believes that the actions of the current Government are hitting young people disproportionately hard;

(b)       believes that this Council must do all it can to ensure that a generation of young people are not left on the scrap heap by the heartless actions of the present Government;

(c)        welcomes that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme introduced by the present Administration has now given the opportunity of an apprenticeship to 100 young people;

(d)       notes this approach, which has seen £1 million invested in apprenticeships, is in stark contrast to the previous Administration whose Leader broke a promise to commit £1 million of the Council's own resources to support the Future Jobs Fund in Sheffield;

(e)       thanks partners in the public, private and voluntary sector who have employed an apprentice, noting that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme has involved a 50% Council contribution to the wages of an apprentice and a 50% employer contribution; and

(f)         welcomes the wider work taken by the present Administration to increase the uptake of apprentices in the City and the doubling of the number of apprentices funded by the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme to 200 and calls on any local employers who wish to take on an apprentice in the future to contact the Council.

It was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Nikki Sharpe, that this Council:-

(a)       is extremely concerned by the current levels of youth unemployment both in Sheffield and nationally, and believes that the actions of the current Government are hitting young people disproportionately hard;

(b)       believes that this Council must do all it can to ensure that a generation of young people are not left on the scrap heap by the heartless actions of the present Government;

(c)        welcomes that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme introduced by the present Administration has now given the opportunity of an apprenticeship to 100 young people;

(d)       notes this approach, which has seen £1 million invested in apprenticeships, is in stark contrast to the previous Administration whose Leader broke a promise to commit £1 million of the Council's own resources to support the Future Jobs Fund in Sheffield;

(e)       thanks partners in the public, private and voluntary sector who have employed an apprentice, noting that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme has involved a 50% Council contribution to the wages of an apprentice and a 50% employer contribution; and

(f)         welcomes the wider work taken by the present Administration to increase the uptake of apprentices in the City and the doubling of the number of apprentices funded by the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme to 200 and calls on any local employers who wish to take on an apprentice in the future to contact the Council.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Roger Davison, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of all the words after the word “nationally” in paragraph (a) and their substitution by the words “which has risen consistently since 2004”;

2.         the substitution of the word “heartless” by the word “reckless” and the word “present” by the word “previous” in paragraph (b);

3.         the deletion of paragraph (d);

4.         the relettering of paragraph (c) as new paragraph (f) and paragraphs (e)-(f) as new paragraphs (h)-(i); and

5.         the addition of new paragraphs (c)-(e) and (g) as follows:

(c)        therefore, endorses the £1 billion Youth Contract announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, which will tackle the scandal of youth unemployment, and will provide:

(i)         160,000 wage incentives for 18-24 year olds worth up to £2,275;

(ii)        250,000 additional work experience places for 18-24 year olds;

(iii)       20,000 incentive payments to encourage smaller businesses to recruit their first apprentices; and

(iv)       a new programme of intensive support for 16 and 17-year olds who are not in employment, education or training;

(d)       thanks the Government for its £8.5 million contribution towards a Sheffield University Technical College, which will provide vital training and skills to the next generation of Sheffielders;

(e)       furthermore, wholeheartedly supports the Local Enterprise Zone, which will bring an estimated 12,600 new jobs to the Sheffield City Region by 2015, and welcomes the recent announcement by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, of £15 million of Government funding for advanced manufacturing research in the Sheffield City Region; and

(g)       notes that all participants on the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme will receive at least Level 2 training, which will be funded by the Coalition Government, and reiterates its thanks to the Government for this support;

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

After a right of reply from Councillor Leigh Bramall, the original Motion was put to the vote and carried, as follows:-