GOOD NEWS: youth unemployment in Harlow is falling

Robert Halfon meeting apprentices at Harlow College.

There's been a lot of bad news on the economy, recently. But there is one silver lining in Harlow: official figures show that youth unemployment in Harlow is falling.

The Office for National Statistics figures for the town show that from November to December last year youth unemployment fell from 715 to 695. 

It's a small step in the right direction. In 2012 my number one priority is the economy, and bringing jobs back to Harlow - especially for our young people. That's why I have championed the idea of a new Apprentice School in the town, based at Harlow College.

It is also why I have personally employed Harlow apprentices in my office - first local lad Andy Huckle, and now Louis Luck. They are both Harlow College students, who earn a proper wage and study for a real qualification.

Official figures have shown a massive rise in the number of apprentices being taken on both in Harlow and nationally. You can see me meeting some of these apprentices in the photos above.

Thanks to a Conservative-led Government, in Harlow the number of apprentices has rocketed by 73 per cent - from 450 in 2009-10 to a figure of 780 for 2010-11.

This is fantastic news and clearly shows that businesses not just locally but across the country are seeing the benefits there are in having apprentices in their workplaces.

We should not be complacent but I'm glad that Harlow is an entrepreneurial town. These figures are to be welcomed and I hope to see a further fall in the months ahead.

I have tabled a parliamentary motion on youth unemployment in Harlow and believe the current situation, with the number of young people unemployed falling, strengthens the case for a University Technical College in the town.

It also shows that measures being taken by the Government to deal with youth unemployment are beginning to make significant inroads.

Robert Halfon meeting apprentices at Harlow College.