Stuart Craft, Independent Working Class Association city councillor, Oxford NO!

The initiatives being put forward to address youth unemployment are no more than a series of self-serving public relations exercises, introduced to deflect attention from the reality of both rising unemployment and the fact that no credible strategies are being put forward by the mainstream parties to tackle it.

Funds are available to create proper jobs, with decent pay, but these funds are instead being siphoned off to enrich a favoured few cynical entrepreneurs.

Money handed over to companies running these schemes, such as A4e, along with that currently paid out in benefits to able-bodied young people, would go a long way to offset the cost of a national scheme of public works to tackle the country’s crumbling infrastructure and clean up our filthy suburbs.

Unfortunately, as the potential for private profit in such a scheme would be minimal, there is nothing to sell it to mainstream politicians, who are still faithfully wedded to the failed economic strategies of neoliberalism.

Nick Allsworth, managing director of Witney electronics firm Vigortronix, which is taking part in a work experience scheme Yes!

One of the biggest barriers to employment is lack of experience.

Many employers do not want to risk offering paid employment to somebody with no track record.

The work experience programme is helping to break down this barrier.

The programme is not a “job creation” scheme but is an “employee creation” scheme, preparing the inexperienced for sustainable work.

There is a lot of talent out there, it just needs to be focused in the right direction and at Vigortronix we are pleased to be playing our part in that.

Coaching someone to develop a “can do” attitude, which in turn will raise confidence and self-esteem, is a successful scheme, but we are also providing that much-needed experience for their CV.

The programme is not suitable for everyone who is unemployed and the programme on its own is not going to solve the issue of unemployment but it does help.