§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is satisfied with the working of (a) the youth training programme and (b) the careers service in the youth training programme in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButlerYes. The youth training programme was successfully launched in 1982 with the main emphasis in 575W the first two years of operation being the provision of full-time training opportunities for young people unable to find employment.
To date 20,000 such young people have participated in the programme. At the end of 1983 a total of 7,828 young people were accommodated in YTP; 7,828 young people who, in the absence of YTP, would almost certainly have been unemployed.
YTP is a developing programme and improvements are continually being made to it. Over the coming year increasing emphasis will be placed on the provision for 17-year-olds and in particular we will be seeking means of strengthening the appeal of the second year provision to that age group.
Careers officers play a central role in the recruitment of young people into YTP and the counselling of young people on the Programme and seek to ensure that those who express an interest in YTP are placed quickly on those schemes that are available and most suited to their needs. Furthermore, careers officers have had considerable success in encouraging young people, who expressed no initial interest in training, to join the programme. I would urge any unemployed 16 or 17-year-old to contact their careers officer at once in order to discuss opportunities available to them in the YTP.