The Government has been told to get its act together after announcing it was to trial a “new” work experience scheme in London which was effectively run across the West Midlands three years ago.
Institute of Directors regional chairman John Rider said it should instead be rolled out across the country now and he called on Ministers to “get radical”.
He said: “Why does it need to be tested at all when the West Midlands has lead on this concept and already tested it?
“This is just another case of London first; then the authorities throwing out the crumbs to the rest. Does London and the Government take any account ever of what happens north of Watford?”
His comments came after Employment Minister, Chris Grayling, unveiled the initiative requiring unemployed young Londoners to take part in work experience in return for welfare payments.
But Mr Rider pointed to the “virtually similar” West Midlands Graduate Internship Scheme which ran in 2009 and which placed 550 unemployed graduates with SMEs, most of which had never employed graduates before. It resulted in 150 getting jobs.
He said: “The West Midlands was first on this – it was very successful.
“It was a collaborative scheme which took in business, universities and Jobcentre Plus.
“An unfortunate exploitive connotation has grown up around work experience, but experience of work, which I prefer to call it, is absolutely vital for young people. Otherwise they remain virtually unemployable.
“A blank CV with no references makes it very hard for a young candidate to persuade an employer to take them on. Undertaking work experience or volunteering at a local charity or social enterprise would help to show that they have the work ethic and interpersonal skills which employers need.
“But we in the West Midlands know all about this. It builds their CV, it builds their experience and it builds their confidence. And we know it gets results.
“It does not need testing. It needs to be rolled out across the country immediately. We need radical action on this now. We’ve proved it once in the West Midlands and we’re up for it again.”