Political parties criticise decision to close youth employment scheme

The Welsh Government has announced the closure of Jobs Growth Wales Credit: Career Wales

The Welsh Government's flagship employment programme Jobs Growth Wales has been closed.

The scheme, for 16-24 year olds, aims to secure six month job placements in a job which pays at least national minimum wage.

The closure was confirmed in a short statement on the Careers Wales website.

Jobs Growth Wales programme provided unemployed young people with a job opportunity for a six month period paid at or above the National Minimum Wage for a minimum of 25 hours per week.

Since Jobs Growth Wales began in 2007 the Welsh Government says it has created over 17,000 job opportunities.

  • The number of job opportunities created and approved was 17,195.

  • The number of job opportunities filled was 14,656.

  • The total number of applications received was 268,467

Credit: PA

The Welsh Government has described their flagship jobs scheme as 'a fantastic success'.

The government says the scheme has now been suspended as European funding has come to an end but it has now begun work on a successor scheme which it plans to launch next month.

Jobs Growth Wales programme provided unemployed young people with a job opportunity for a six month period paid at or above the National Minimum Wage for a minimum of 25 hours per week.

Plaid Cymru said that with 60,000 young people in Wales not in education, employment or training, the end of Jobs Growth Wales shows the incompetence of Labour and the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said to allow this scheme to expire was "staggering"

The Welsh Conservatives said "brushing a ‘key policy’ aside" would give voters no hope that Labour can be trusted with the economy..