Youth Training Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was the former name in the United Kingdom
of an on-the-job training
course for school leavers aged 16 and 17, managed by the Manpower Services Commission
. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 whitepaper A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action, and was brought into operation in 1983, replacing the Youth Opportunities Programme
, by the government of Margaret Thatcher
. Initially lasting one year, the scheme was amended in 1986 to be extendable to a second year. The 1981 England riots
encouraged this by bringing into sharp focus the results of leaving large numbers of unskilled unemployed to find their own solutions.
The Youth Training Scheme promised training to its applicants and made use of a variety of different training locales such as businesses, colleges of further education
or training workshops run by voluntary organisations. Since the training place was guaranteed by the government, and that trainees were to be paid whilst on the course, eligibility for social security
unemployment benefit
was withdrawn.
Accredited organisations were required to provide at least 13 weeks per year of training away from the job and include life-skills and social skills. A standardised form of certification was issued at the end of the training period.
In 1989 the YTS was renamed Youth Training and was placed under the management of local Training and Enterprise Council
s. The trainees on the schemes could be classified as either trainee status or employed status. The difference was distinguished by whether the trainee was recruited by an employer and provided with training for the company needs or if the trainee was being trained by a training organisation using employers as training placements. Often employed status trainees would have their training allowance improved by the employer.
s and marked rise in youth unemployment seen in the early 1980s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
of an on-the-job training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
course for school leavers aged 16 and 17, managed by the Manpower Services Commission
Manpower Services Commission
The Manpower Services Commission was a non-departmental public body of the Department of Employment Group in the United Kingdom created by Edward Heath's Conservative Government in 1973. The MSC had a remit to co-ordinate employment and training services in the UK through a ten-member commission...
. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 whitepaper A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action, and was brought into operation in 1983, replacing the Youth Opportunities Programme
Youth Opportunities Programme
The Youth Opportunities Programme was a UK government scheme for helping 16 to 18 year olds into employment. It was introduced in 1978 under the government of James Callaghan, was expanded in 1980 by Margaret Thatcher's government, and ran until 1983 when it was replaced by the Youth Training...
, by the government of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. Initially lasting one year, the scheme was amended in 1986 to be extendable to a second year. The 1981 England riots
1981 England riots
In 1981, the United Kingdom suffered serious riots across many major cities in England. They were perceived as race riots between communities, in all cases the main motives for the riots were related to racial tension and inner-city deprivation. The riots were caused by a distrust of the police...
encouraged this by bringing into sharp focus the results of leaving large numbers of unskilled unemployed to find their own solutions.
The Youth Training Scheme promised training to its applicants and made use of a variety of different training locales such as businesses, colleges of further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
or training workshops run by voluntary organisations. Since the training place was guaranteed by the government, and that trainees were to be paid whilst on the course, eligibility for social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
was withdrawn.
Accredited organisations were required to provide at least 13 weeks per year of training away from the job and include life-skills and social skills. A standardised form of certification was issued at the end of the training period.
In 1989 the YTS was renamed Youth Training and was placed under the management of local Training and Enterprise Council
Training and Enterprise Council
The Training and Enterprise Councils or TECs were local bodies established in England and Wales in the early 1990s to administer publicly-funded training programmes, replacing the former Manpower Services Commission. The first group of 19 TECs were launched in 1990...
s. The trainees on the schemes could be classified as either trainee status or employed status. The difference was distinguished by whether the trainee was recruited by an employer and provided with training for the company needs or if the trainee was being trained by a training organisation using employers as training placements. Often employed status trainees would have their training allowance improved by the employer.
Criticism
The YTS attracted political and social criticism from an early point. Critics claimed that the scheme enabled employers to exploit school leavers for cheap labour, and provided little substance in the way of genuine education. The government's response was that the scheme was an effective counter to the drop in apprenticeshipApprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
s and marked rise in youth unemployment seen in the early 1980s.