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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1st MARCH 2011
Question
"Following the announcement of further funding for the Advance to Work (ATW) schemes, (16 – 19, and 20 -24) will the Minister inform members for the years 2009 and 2010 -
- how many young people have had an ATW place?
- how many have subsequently found permanent employment? and
- how much in total has been spent on this scheme?
Will he further inform members why he has managed to attract only 270 employers out of a potential 6,210 Jersey businesses to join the scheme?"
Answer
Funding for the programme was secured in September 2009 and the first young people started the course thereafter.
- 370 young people have had an ATW place.
- 142 have subsequently found permanent employment. (This is the total number of people that have found employment - in some cases it has been contract work rather than permanent.)
- A total of £714,351 was spent on the scheme in 2009 and 2010 - £110,495 in 2009 and £603,856 in 2010
The ATW team members are working closely with local employers to encourage them to join the scheme.
- There are a number of other agencies in the Island who also are continually looking for valuable work placements. These include Workwise, Trident, Jersey Employment Trust, Highlands College and others and ATW work in partnership with all these agencies to ensure that their clients are not adversely affected by placements being lost to different schemes. We recognise that there is always a limit to the number of placements that any employer can offer across the variety of valuable schemes in the Island.
- Employers who are laying off their own staff due to the economic climate are often unable to take on trainees due to the impression this may give those staff losing their jobs.
- Placements are always specific to individuals needs and career aspirations and therefore we do not simply put trainees with any employer if the match is not right.
- ATW are continually attracting new businesses to support the scheme and many have offered placements to more than one trainee. Many businesses who have been involved with ATW in the past and used it as a useful recruitment tool have in fact recommended the scheme to
other businesses.
- Many employers tell us that they barely have enough work for their own staff and therefore they would have little for a trainee to do if they were on placement. ATW are firmly of the opinion that placements need to be able to offer meaningful work and we do not want trainees getting disillusioned with a workplace where there is simply not enough work for them to do.
- Mentors spend a great deal of time networking with employers to gain new placements, but always ensure that there is adequate supervision in place and that the motives of the employer for taking on a placement are within the spirit of ATW before placing a trainee.
- ATW require any business taking a trainee to have employer and public liability insurance to ensure the trainee is covered whilst in placement which prevents some sole traders from participating in the scheme. (40% of businesses, 2,484 businesses are registered with the Population Office)