Tonia welcomes a fall in the number of young Welsh people not in education, employment or training

Welsh Labour’s candidate for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi, has welcomed new figures which show that the number of young people not in education, employment or training in Wales fell during 2016.

Tonia said: “These latest figures show the difference that a Welsh Labour Government makes.

“Whilst young people are amongst those bearing the brunt of the UK Government’s austerity agenda, Labour in Wales is investing in our future.

“I have seen the impact that schemes like Jobs Growth Wales have had on the lives of young people, including in Gower, and am proud that our party has not turned our back on them.”

Figures from the Annual Population Survey (APS) show that:
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• In the twelve months ending 31 December 2016, 8.5% of 16-18 year olds were estimated to be NEET compared with 9.6% at the end of 2015 - a fall of 1,100 young people (9,100 young people compared with 10,200).
• During the same period ending 31 December 2016, 17.1% of 19-24 year olds(42,000 people) were estimated to be NEET, against 18.6% (46,600) at the year ending 31 December 2015.
• The number of Year 11 leavers from schools in Wales known to be NEET also decreased between 2015 and 2016 and now stands at 2.0% (619) compared to 2.8% (911) in 2015.  

A number of schemes supported by the Welsh Labour Government are helping young people into work, including Jobs Growth Wales. Supported by the European Structural Fund, Jobs Growth Wales provides unemployed young people aged 16-24 with a job opportunity for six months. Since it launched in 2012, almost 15,000 job vacancies were filled through the programme, with a further 2,365 filled by March 2017.