By CHARLENE MACAULAY AND VANESSA VALENZUELA
TWO out of five youths in Melbourne’s North West who are out of school are unemployed.
Federal Government statistics for the month of June show 40.5 per cent of youths aged between 15 to 19 in the North West Metropolitan region who are not in school or any full-time training institution are out of work.
Last year, that figure was as high as 55.2 per cent.
WPC Group CEO Nicholas Wyman said the figure meant the region was up there with the worst youth unemployment in the world.
Mr Wyman said the WPC Group, which specialises in the employment and training of apprentices and trainees, had 125 apprenticeships on offer in Victoria with next to no takers.
“Is it poor pay, or the fact that the Youth Allowance is the same as first-year apprentice wages?
“Youth unemployment and engagement into the workforce is a huge problem, and it’s a huge problem in Melbourne’s West, apart from anywhere else.”
Mr Wyman was recently awarded a Park Family Churchill Fellowship which he will use to travel to Germany and the Netherlands – who are performing better in their youth retention rates – and find out how they are doing it.
He is also going to France and the UK – who face similar problems to Australia – to see how they’re trying to fix the problem.
Caroline Springs resident Hine Tomtey, 19, has been struggling to find work over the past six months while she is on a gap year.
Ms Tomtey told Star that businesses did not want to hire anyone without any experience.
The Brotherhood of St Lawrence has been helping her write up resumes and conduct practice job interviews.
“I reckon it is hard to find a job in the West,” Ms Tomtey said.
“None of the shops here are hiring. They said that I should look for a job after July. Now they have said I should wait until November.
“I want to go to work and then go to uni. Right now I have no money to buy the resources I need.”
Federal Employment Minister and Maribyrnong MP Bill Shorten said the Government was working with a wide range of community groups to help get unemployed youth into work.
“There have been some great successes,” Mr Shorten said.
“It’s not like the 1970s when unemployed young people were left to sink or swim on their own. We believe in leaving nobody behind.
“Looking at the bigger picture, I’m certain that the answer to both unemployment and productivity growth is skills; I would like to see more young people remaining in study and training.”
State Employment Minister Richard Dalla-Riva’s office did not respond to Star’s request for comment.
