Angela Constance is pragmatic faced with the task of turning around Scotland’s youth unemployment crisis

Given the scale of the problem that she is charged with addressing, Angela Constance is remarkably calm. Tapped just before Christmas by Alex Salmond to fill the newly created ministerial brief for Youth Employment, she could almost be expected to feel hard done by, tasked, as she is, with dealing with an unemployment rate for Scottish 16-24 year olds of 23.5 per cent at a time when many are predicting yet another challenging year for the world economy.

“I think tackling youth unemployment and boosting youth employment is one of the most important jobs for any government, and yes, I have a huge challenge ahead of me. Clearly the figures speak for themselves,” Constance says, highlighting the fact that hers is the only ministerial role of its kind anywhere in the UK.

“It’s a very challenging time for young people in Scotland. We won’t be walking away from our young. We’ve demonstrated that commitment with the creation of this post, a dedicated post to boost youth employment.” The SNP may claim that Constance’s appointment represents a uniquely proactive approach to dealing with the problem, but the reality is that youth unemployment has become the signpost of the global economic crisis of the past half decade, with governments across Europe having to contend with large numbers of jobless young people. It was one of the key pledges of Tony Blair’s Labour government to eradicate youth unemployment, yet even with the favourable winds of an economic boom, little progress was made.

“It’s true to say that when national unemployment was at four per cent, youth unemployment was at 14 per cent, so there is a long-term issue in terms of supporting young people into work,” says Constance, when asked whether she will fare any better as the UK struggles to escape a recession. “I think young people are hit hardest in a recession primarily because they may well have the qualifications, but they’re disadvantaged compared to their older counterparts because of lack of work experience. There is a job of work to do, when times are good and when times are bad, to ensure that our young people have better opportunities for entering the world of work.” That will involve working with the Westminster Government, which recently unveiled its own approach to youth unemployment in the form of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract scheme.

The prospect doesn’t rankle Constance. “I’m a pragmatist. I’ll work with any sector, any government, any local authority, any college in the interests of young people. Obviously there are things the Westminster Government does, namely, through the Department of Work and Pensions, powers that I would prefer to see transferred to Scotland. Until that happens we will work with our partners to ensure that the process is as streamlined as possible.” Pointing out that Skills Development Scotland operates in 35 job centres across Scotland, Constance says: “That’s an example of how an agency that’s responsible to the Scottish Government is working well with an agency that’s responsible to the Westminster Government.” However, nationalism does colour her response when asked what progress can be expected over the course of this parliament.

“Stating the obvious, the Scottish Parliament doesn’t have job-creating powers. It doesn’t have control over the big economic levers. I regret that and I hope one day soon that will change; but we do have the ability to invest in our young people,” she says.

“Year in and year out, we already invest the best part of £2m in education, training and skills, so it is possible for the Scottish Government to be creating the conditions for growth, and we need to make sure that we do so in a shape, in a manner that is in the interests of young people – the prioritisation of young people and colleges, the record investment in Modern Apprenticeships, the retention of Educational Maintenance Allowance, and keeping young people in education because we know that improves their long-term employability prospects.” The private sector will need to be brought on board if the Government hopes to have any success in reversing youth unemployment; Constance calls for a “national response” in dealing with the problem. Part of her approach will involve convincing firms that have the luxury of choosing more experienced jobseekers that they can benefit from participating in employment schemes for young Scots. Constance highlights Modern Apprenticeships, saying they represent the best way for sectors of the economy to fill potential skills gaps. “I have had the privilege of meeting many modern apprentices who have been employed with companies both big and small, and it is clear to me that benefits not just the young person but also the business or the company,” she says.

What does she make of complaints from business leaders that they’re put off from taking part in youth employment schemes by the complexity of the funding and bureaucratic landscape? “We need to make it easier whether it’s big companies or small companies to take on young people,” Constance says. “It needs to be easier for them to find out what they’re entitled to, what opportunities exist in terms of employment recruitment incentives. One of the things I’m looking forward to – and it’s part of my New Year’s resolution – is to get out there and proactively engage with the private sector as well as local authorities and colleges and [the] voluntary sector.” With colleges at the front line of youth unemployment, and key to providing the skills necessary to combat it, much of Constance’s success in her role will rely on the outcome of Education Secretary Mike Russell’s drive for skills reform. In a consultation launched in December, Putting Learners at the Centre, Russell further developed his approach towards regionalisation of Scotland’s further education provision, with one of the aims being to see colleges better serve the labour demands of their local economies. “One of the advantages of my post is that I report directly to both the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Economic Growth and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning,” Constance says. “I hope that one of the opportunities that my post will create is an opportunity to better bridge the gaps between the world of education and the world of work. I think that there’s been great progress made in terms of courses that are more attuned to the needs of employers.” Prevention has been well established as the modus operandi of this second SNP administration, and can be seen at work in the Government’s approach to reform of the skills sector, but prevention will come too late to help those covered by Constance’s ministerial portfolio that are already out of work. She accepts that even a relatively short period out of work for a young jobseeker can have longterm consequences for both their confidence and tangible skills. “We certainly know that the consequences of unemployment on young people can have a long-term effect; I think the academics talk about ‘scarring’. Any government absolutely can’t afford not to be proactive in terms of boosting youth employment, but also looking in broader terms at the skills that young people need, and we need to be keeping young people engaged.

“Young people aren’t a homogenous group.

There are many young people who, if the economic climate was more optimistic, would gain employment more readily, so we need to ensure that those young people don’t become disheartened, disengaged. There are certainly programmes like ‘adopt an intern’ where young people, while they may not be in the job of their choice or the destination of their choice, are getting educational opportunities and work experience.

“I think we’ve done a lot since 2008, and with the creation of my post, I think there’s a fresh impetus across the public and private sector, and I detect that people want to do the best by our young people.”