Youth unemployment will be high on the agenda at this month’s Young Fine Gael National Conference, to to take place in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone from Friday February 20 to Sunday February 22.
Some 400 delegates from YFG’s 60 branches will discuss the emergency in youth unemployment throughout the country in a specially convened debate.
Commenting on the conference, Fine Gael national youth officer, Susie O’Connor said: “The speed at which the crisis is affecting young people calls for immediate action. Westmeath has been particularly badly hit with an increase of 94 per cent in the number of people under 25 signing on this year. Athlone has seen an increase of 107 per cent, Castlepollard 125 per cent, and Mullingar 77 per cent.
“YFG will debate positive solutions to the issues facing young people when seeking employment. Initiatives to be discussed include: a total overhaul of FÁS, the State training agency, which spends over €1 billion per annum but produces limited results; building an enterprise hub in each county by merging all existing State agencies in each county; earlier activation and identification of people whose jobs are at risk for retraining; and a renewed focus on restoring competitiveness by reducing the cost of doing business and the cost of taking on new employees.”
Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael, will address the conference at 4pm on Saturday February 21. Numerous members of the Fine Gael front bench will join Deputy Kenny at the YFG Conference, including Finance spokesperson Deputy Richard Bruton, and Enterprise and Employment spokesperson, Dr Leo Varadkar TD.
Other contributors to the conference will include: Jim Higgins MEP, Gay Mitchell MEP, Deputy James Bannon, Deputy Lucinda Creighton, Deputy Denis Naughten, Senator Frances Fitzgerald, Senator Nicky McFadden, Senator John Paul Phelan, Cllr Sean McKiernan, and Barry Walsh, president YFG.
