AN EMPLOYMENT provider for jobless young people in Plymouth has given a position to its 100th worker.

The Future Jobs Fund — which the new coalition Government has announced plans to scrap — has organised employment for James Sowter, who has started working at Horizon's Children's Sailing Charity.

The 18-year-old, along with some of the first young people to be employed through the scheme, met at Horizon's last week to talk about what returning to work has meant to them.

James Sowter is just about to start his new job. Horizon's, in Stonehouse, enables disabled and disadvantaged children in Plymouth to sail through schools and evening and holiday clubs.

James said: "I can't wait to get started. Six months without a job was starting to get to me.

"Working here has got to be the best job opportunity going."

The FJF scheme's remit is to provide employment, training and skills development to 18 to 24-year-olds who have been unemployed for a minimum of six months and a maximum of 52 weeks.

To get the project off the ground, city charity the Wolseley Trust — along with its partners — put a successful bid together to obtain funding to employ a total of 181 young people.

Peter Flukes, chief executive of the trust, said: "One of the overriding priorities of the Future Jobs Fund is to create jobs with a social benefit as well as providing quality employment and training for young people.

"Plymouth's third sector is involved in all areas of care, support and environmental work throughout the city.

"We decided to look at what we were doing to help young people who have been disproportionately badly hit by the recession."

The new coalition Government has announced it plans to scrap the FJF scheme.

But Graham Morris, project manager of the Plymouth Employment and Skills Board, and chairman of the Future Jobs Fund Steering Group, said: "Although the coalition has announced the end of Future Jobs Fund, in practice, the scheme in Plymouth will continue employing young people until September 2011.

"I would encourage unemployed 19 to 24-year-olds to take advantage of the opportunities the scheme offers.

"Some recent reports have stated that employers have been paid to provide jobs that people have not turned up for.

"This is not our experience here — our young people have shown real commitment and enthusiasm and have embarked on NVQs and practical qualifications to back up their employment. We hope that whatever arrangements are put in place to support unemployed people in gaining real jobs will offer the same quality of opportunity we are offering in Plymouth."