Tom Gooding

Although youth unemployment is at an all-time high in the UK, only 1,055 of those aged 16-24 in Lincoln are claiming benefits and 960 apprenticeships were delivered to young people in the 2010/11 academic year.

The total number of those claiming benefits in Lincoln is 3,000.

The Office for National Statistics revealed that the general UK unemployment rate was at its highest since 1994, with 2.62 million people jobless between July and September.

Over one million young people aged 16-24 were out of work in those three months.

Penny Jones, Guidance Adviser at Lincoln College, offered tips on how to stand out from the crowd and maximise your chances of gaining employment:

“Keep your CV up-to-date and tailor it to the specific position you are applying for. Don’t spam employers with a generic CV that fails to tell them why you are right for this job.

“A covering letter or email should accompany your CV explaining why you would like to work for the company, drawing attention to highlights in your CV.

“Consider undertaking further study, perhaps update your maths, English or ICT skills as entering into further study also shows initiative and boosts confidence.

“Explore volunteering opportunities, as this can give you fantastic experience enabling you to develop a range of skills and demonstrate commitment to a role within an organisation.”

Apprenticeships provide local youth with key skills

New data has shown that apprenticeship numbers in Lincoln are on the rise, with 960 apprenticeships delivered in the 2010/11 academic year, a 34% increase on the previous year.

Karl McCartney, Conservative MP for Lincoln, said: “This is great news for both businesses and young people in our city.

“The record rise in apprenticeship numbers, particularly in Advanced ‘A’ level equivalent qualifications, shows our Government’s commitment to helping employers train the skilled workers they need to build a stronger economy and sustainable growth.”

The Smoke Free Lincolnshire Alliance is backing a proposal from the British Medical Association (BMA) to ban smoking in cars, but a Lincoln smoking campaigner believes this would be another invasion of personal rights.

The request comes in light of the BMA’s desire for the UK government to create a tobacco-free society by 2035 and would strengthen the wider tobacco control strategy in the UK.

Current legislation requires that enclosed vehicles be smokefree at all times if used by members of the public or in the course of paid or voluntary work. The proposal asks that the smoking ban be extended to include private vehicles.

A new paper published by the BMA’s Board of Science outlines the adverse effects of second-hand smoke in vehicles.

Children are particularly vulnerable, the paper says, as their breathing tends to be quicker, they absorb more pollutants because of their size, and they have less developed immune systems.

Ros Watson, Smoke Free Lincs Alliance Co-ordinator, said: “Where there is the right to choose, we can make the decision whether to travel with a smoker or not. When a child, who doesn’t always have a choice, is asked to get in a car, we must fight for their rights.”

Pat Nurse, a member of the grassroots smokers’ rights organisation Freedom 2 Choose, said: “This news has one purpose, which is to further the denormalisation of considerate law abiding smoker adults who are quite capable of being considerate in cars with passengers in them.

“The state has no right to control and dictate what we do in our private spaces and that includes cars.

“I’m surprised at the BMA and it’s use of emotive and unscientific hyperbole, including the scandalous, unproven claim that smoke somehow seeps through the skin of children.”

Photo: Dominic Clark