The Government will fully fund apprenticeships in small businesses from 1st April by paying the full cost of training for anyone up to the age of 21 – reducing costs and burdens for businesses and delivering more opportunities for young people to kick start their careers.
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There were 481,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed in October to December 2023, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous year.
Youth unemployment is currently at a historically low level. Youth unemployment fell to 406,000 in May to July 2022 which was the lowest recorded level since records began in 1992. However, since then it has been gradually increasing.
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There were 1.32 million unemployed people in the UK in October to December 2023, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous year.
481,000 young people aged 16-24 were unemployed in October to December 2023, 10,000 fewer than the year before.
The unemployment rate for 16‑24 year olds was 11.6%, an increase from 11.5% a year before.
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33.17 million people were in employment in October to December 2023. Employment was up 72,000 from the previous quarter and up 107,000 from the year before.
The employment rate (the proportion of the population aged 16-64 in work) was 75.0%, down from 75.2% a year previously.
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Six new contracts worth more than £450 million were announced on the 6th February, allowing suppliers to immediately begin detailed surveying work to connect around 236,000 premises across England, with the first premises expected to be connected in early 2025.
The upgrades will help grow the economy, create jobs and deliver long-term change for a brighter future by making it easier to set up a business, and giving rural communities access to networks designed to meet people’s needs for decades to come as the demand for fast connections continue to rise.
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Totalling more than £90 million, funding announced on the 3rd February will support nearly 20,000 more young people per year to access new state of the art facilities such as workshop spaces, sports halls, art rooms, recording studios and skateparks.
Activities ranging from dance, drama and music to sport, horticulture and employment skills development will be on offer, giving young people access to opportunities that broaden their horizons.
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Economic inactivity (people not in work and not looking for work) was highest in rural and coastal constituencies (21.9%) in October 2022 to September 2023. Rural inland constituencies had the lowest economic inactivity rate (19.6%).
The Government’s Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper states seaside towns are among those areas with the “highest levels of community need and poor opportunities for the people who grow up there”, while rural areas can be low in “connectivity, skills and productive capital”.
In September 2022, the Rural England Prosperity Fund was launched and designed to fund capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure, with the aim of improving productivity and strengthening the rural economy.
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Although there remains significant uncertainty around labour data, figures show the labour market continuing to cool down, with vacancies falling by a further 50 thousand on the quarter (to 935 thousand) and earnings growth dipping below 6%.
However, they also show an unexpected slight improvement in the estimated employment rate, driven by falling ‘economic inactivity’.
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The new report finds that while 99% of employers recognise the benefits of offering apprenticeships, they face barriers in supporting the apprentice to successfully complete.
The report offers a series of recommendations to improve outcomes, including supporting more employers to provide off-the-job training and pastoral support, which the research indicates lead to higher completion rates.
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It will allow members of the public to subscribe to receive important updates to their phones.
The Government will also use the channel to share trusted and essential information from partner organisations like UK Health Security and Public Health England health alerts.
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