Geraldine Gammell: MSPs have to engage young on jobs

That is why, today, the Prince's Trust Scotland, working with The Scotsman, is giving key politicians the opportunity to listen to the voices of young people who have spent time not in education, employment or training.

These include Angela Constance of the SNP and the Scottish Government's minister for schools and skills; Andy Kerr of Scottish Labour; Margaret Smith of the Scottish Liberal Democrats; and Derek Brownlee of the Scottish Conservatives.

Now more than ever, the issue of youth deprivation and unemployment cannot be ignored; research carried out by the London School of Economics using Treasury data showed it is costing Scotland 11.4 million every week. This is an unacceptable drain on the public purse when we can least afford it.

The annual cost for an individual jobseeker in Scotland can be as much as 16,000. But for a fraction of this cost, the Prince's Trust can support a jobless young person through an intensive personal development course, helping them leave the dole queue for good. The young people the Prince's Trust works with so often have had a difficult start in their lives, have little or no self-esteem and feel that they have no future. However, following support from the Prince's Trust, four out of five of them go on to employment, education, or training.

This week, three of our young people will attend a national Prince's Trust awards ceremony. One had suffered from drug addiction, another had been in a serious accident and one had dropped out of school aged just 13. They are now helping other young people to embark on their very own success stories thanks to being given the chance to shine.

The Prince's Trust Scotland and The Scotsman will today host the discussion "Is anyone listening?", a forum for MSPs to meet young disadvantaged people.

l Geraldine Gammell is director of the Prince's Trust Scotland.