Policy pledges are 'good news' for Hampshire's young people

3.12.51pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 10th Sep 2009

A Liberal Democrat pledge to help almost 900,000 young unemployed people find work is good news for Hampshire, says Prospective MP Liz Leffman.

Nearly a fifth of 18 to 24-year-olds are currently unemployed, compared to less than one-in-ten of all ages. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg today announced a wide-ranging policy to reverse the trend and open up more university places too. The party has pledged to:

1) Give 800,000 young people a leg-up into industry via paid internships.

2) Fund an extra 60,000 places in universities and colleges, opening up further and higher education.

3) Boost funding for apprenticeships to put British industry back on track and give more youngsters places on essential back-to-work schemes.

4) Pay for the proposals for by scrapping the VAT cut immediately .

Liz Leffman, prospective Lib Dem MP for Meon Valley, said: "Young people in Hampshire are facing a challenging employment market and many can't even get into university this year, despite being well enough qualified.

"The Conservatives failed a whole generation after the last recession. Millions became trapped in a culture of dependency. The Labour government looks set to repeat the same mistakes. We can't let that happen. While the other parties are wringing their hands over the pain caused by the recession, the Lib Dems are coming up with serious, costed solutions."