Providing opportunities for young people is a huge priority of mine, be it jobs or education. From speaking to residents in our towns and dropping off surveys on doorsteps, I know that this is a priority for many people. I am pleased that this is now an area I oversee in Government and an area I am particularly passionate about.
I know that many young people do not decide what they wish to do immediately – it can take a long time. Certainly it did for me, as I became involved in politics after my two children were older. What is most important is that there are options for those wishing to get into work and find something they love.
Amber meeting employees at Marshall Tufflex
This is why I am opening a DWP Youth Confident event in Hastings in a couple weeks’ time. I believe our town offers an immense pool of talent and we have local businesses with vacancies who are looking for impassioned young individuals. The event will introduce local employers to unemployed young people in Hastings with the aim of filling these vacancies. Employers are only permitted to attend the fair if they have job openings which they are looking to find candidates for on the day.
I believe this is an important initiative which will show our young people just how much they can offer our towns, and what our towns can offer them. Looking at the rest of the country, I was very pleased to welcome our highest ever number of people in work as well as wages growing faster than inflation for the eleventh month running. This has been particularly good news for the Southeast, where we have seen 408,076 more people enjoying the security of a job since 2010.
In Hastings, we have seen the number of people claiming out of work benefits decrease by nearly 20% since 2010. On top of this, the Department for Work and Pensions have chosen to set up a service centre in Hastings, meaning over 350 high quality jobs coming to our area.
Looking back to Government before 2010, we saw youth unemployment over double what it is today. The Labour administrator took an irresponsible approach towards engaging our nation’s young people and under their poor management, businesses simply could not afford to hire. Nine years later, I am pleased that this is no longer the case. In towns like Hastings we are seeing many local employers looking to tap into the talent of our young people. This is why I hold a Jobs Fair every year, so that these employers can get in contact with people looking for work.
I am confident that under this Government’s careful management we will continue to break records and see more people than ever enjoying the security of a well-paid job.
Yours sincerely,
Amber Rudd MP
Hastings and Rye