THE number of young people in Renfrewshire claiming benefits has dropped considerably in the past year, with the region bucking the national trend.
In December 2018, the claimant count of local people aged between 18 and 24 was 544 – a drop of 14 per cent compared with the previous year.
Nationally, the claimant count rose by one per cent during that time.
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Yvonne O’Hara, work coach team leader at Johnstone Jobcentre, said a concerted effort to reduce youth employment in the area is paying off.
She added: “We have been able to focus on youth unemployment, with there being a slightly more mandatory element for them having to do workshops.
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“We want to support young people into work properly from the day they make the claim, so we can protect them against any long-term unemployment in the future.
“There is a lot of opportunity for them in Renfrewshire.”
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