Will Goodhand, would-be MP Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland, today welcomed the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions Iain Duncan Smith to Macmillan Academy to meet young people currently going through the National Citizen Service programme. 

Will and Iain were both quizzed by local young people about the opportunities available for young people and how we can help them into the world of work. 

In answering questions, the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions talked through changes brought in by this Government to deal with the ‘catch-22’ of needing experience to get a job, but needing to be working in order to get that experience. 

Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith commented: 

"After young people personally told me of the difficulty they faced in securing employment, this Government introduced work experience to help young people gain the necessary skills and confidence to secure full-time employment. The results have been consistently positive with youth unemployment falling nearly 200,000 since 2010.” 

Will Goodhand added: 

“Youth unemployment is falling thanks to a combination of work experience leading to work, the fact there are twice as many apprenticeships starting every year on Teesside than there were under Labour, and the brilliant work of organisations like the National Citizen Service which I have seen for myself bringing new skills and opportunities to our young people.” 

“I know how work experience builds young people’s confidence, from my own experience of unemployment, through to seeing how young people have blossomed on the work experience programme I run in the Conservative office, where we have seen the majority of participants going on to full time work already.”