Tue, 17 Feb 2015People aged between 18 and 21 who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) for six months will have to carry out community work in order to claim unemployment benefits under Conservative Party proposals announced this morning (17 February).

Prime Minister David Cameron said the plans meant that NEETs who were out of work for six months would have to combine their job search with community work.

“That could mean making meals for older people, cleaning up litter and graffiti, or working for local charities,” he said.
 
“Your first experience of the benefits system should be that yes, you can get help — but it isn’t something for nothing, and you need to put something back into your community too,” he added.

A Conservative Party spokesperson told Recruiter the reforms would mean NEETs would have to do 30 hours’ community work each week and 10 hours of job-hunting to qualify for benefits.

The spokesperson said providers of such community work programmes would be expected to release claimants for job interviews.