26 March 2001 - Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking
at the launch of Ambition:IT, announced 5,000 new job opportunities in
the first sectoral employer-led new deal initiative. He stated that these
jobs will tpically pay £15-20,000 a year. Further sectoral jobs initiatives
are to follow.
Ambition:IT initiative involves some of the UK's leading IT businesses:
Cisco Systems, FI Group, IBM, Siemens, Consignia, Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young,
Dixons, ICL, EDS, RM plc, Oracle, BT and Microsoft. A total of 7500 New Deal
recruits will receive training in IT skills from these companies. The
intention is to recruit primarily the long-term unemployed -
people who have been out of work for 18 months. But young people unemployed
for six months or more and lone parents seeking work will also be offered
flexible IT training.
Gordon Brown said that "Ambition:IT is the smart solution for business
looking for skilled employees and for the country as a whole: it gives
hope to the unemployed, tackles skills shortages and shows us preparing
for the new economy.
"In five years' time, 90 per cent of jobs will need IT skills, compared
with 70 per cent today and just 25 per cent in 1992. So Ambition:IT
matches unemployed men and women without jobs to the businesses that
need skilled IT technicians, a demand that itself is set to increase
by up to 25 per cent in the next three years," he said.
A special emphasis wil be given to 'lifting up' high unemployment
areas which exist alongside areas with IT vacancies throughout
the country. 10 areas have been short-listed: London, Manchester,
Birmingham, Leeds, South Yorkshire, Liverpool, Tyneside, Cardiff,
Glasgow and the Edinburgh and Forth area. 5 of these will be chosen
as pilots.
Gordon Brown added:
"In addition to Career Ambition - this three year pilot programme to
help long-term unemployed people and lone parents to access
technician jobs in the IT industry, First Ambition will provide
greater opportunities for long-term unemployed and lone parents to
take up ICT training - putting 15,000 people onto European Computer
Driving Licence or equivalent courses in the first year of the
programme - and Challenge Ambition will allow New Deal providers to
bid for resources to try out innovative ICT solutions.
"With Ambition:IT launching the second stage of the new deal and the
new regime of new rights and new responsibilities of ambition, we are
investing - in total - 50 million pounds, but based on our Employment
first principle - from April 1st tightening up sanctions so that long
term unemployed meet their obligations to seek work and in this way
move closer to our ambition of full employment, employment
opportunity for all.
"So employment first means, for unemployed claimants, a new compulsory
skills check up and a pilot project requiring skills training by the
unemployed; for lone parents, new options including self employment
backed by child care with all now invited to a work based interview;
and for the 140,000 long term unemployed over 25 and under 50, new
opportunities in wider access to training and self employment as well
as jobs, but new obligations with sanctions that will now include the
withdrawal of benefits for up to 26 weeks for repeatedly refusing to
respond to the new opportunities.
"In the next few weeks we will be launching further employer-led
initiatives including in construction, hotels and hospitality and
financial services."
Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket group came out in support of
Ambition IT. Tesco currently employs over 200,000 people throughout the UK.
Tesco launched its London Initiative last week, designed to bring together
public services, employers and community groups to deliver sustainable
social, economic and environmental change and address the skills shortage in the capital.
The retailer has successfully launched nine such schemes in the North
of England and Scotland since 1999. It plans to announce a further three
partnership initiatives before the end of April
Commenting on Ambition IT, Martin Venning, Tesco's UK Regeneration Manager,
said: "Essentially Ambition IT is all about basic skills and training people
to fill the skills shortages in the marketplace. It's equipping people with
transferable skills for life, which is exactly what Tesco does via its partnership
schemes throughout the country.
"Tesco is backing Ambition IT 100 percent and is looking forward to working
closely with the Government to get as many long-term unemployed people back to
work through New Deal as possible."
The Employment Market
