A service steering thousands of Maitland’s young people toward employment could face the axe in next month’s federal budget.
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The future of Youth Express, in Maitland, and Career Links, Newcastle, is under threat as part of budgetary cuts.
Hundreds of businesses, schools and charities have written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott to call for the employment brokering network Partnership Brokers to be retained ahead of the May 13 budget announcement.
Youth Express is expected to lose 50 per cent of operations and staffing if the cuts go ahead.
“I understand the government’s need to balance the budget, however the valuable resources, partnerships and good will that exist and are working must not be wasted,” Youth Express CEO manager Julie Eldridge said.
“These programs don’t cost money, they save money, and set young people on a path to productivity.”
In 2013, Partnership Brokers delivered benefits to more than 300,000 young people, including 10,000 in the Hunter.
“Worse than the direct job losses from two small businesses here in the Hunter is the impact it will have on young people and communities,” Ms Eldridge said.
“It will remove support for young people striving to make the transition from school to work at a time when youth unemployment is at crisis level.
“The question being asked is: ‘Why would the government shut down such a program?’”
Partnership Brokers was launched in 2010 to support young people aged 15 to 24 at risk of not completing school or becoming unemployed by linking them with businesses, training and valuable job experience.
“The importance of linking education to employment opportunities was identified during the Howard years and continued throughout the Gillard Rudd governments; this now faces uncertainty under the Abbott government,” Ms Eldridge said.
Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon has launched a petition opposing the cuts.
“Our community needs to put pressure on the government right now so that we don’t see Youth Express close,” he said. “At a time of rising youth unemployment, cutting these services would be incredibly short-sighted.”
“Tony Abbott needs to provide at least $128 million in this year’s budget to prevent Youth [Express], Partnership Brokers and career services from closing across the country.”