No one under twenty will be on the dole under the Alliance employment policy.

Instead, anyone under twenty who doesn't have full-time work will have free access to education or vocational training such as an apprenticeship, and will be paid as much for education or training as the unemployment benefit provides.

The policy was released today by Alliance leader Jim Anderton at the Auckland manufacturing firm he started and built into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

The Alliance will establish a $200 million economic development fund to invest in job-rich new industries.

A network of regional development agencies will be established to promote the development of local economies by recommending projects suitable for investment. Examples include projects which provide essential regional infrastructure.

A nation-wide apprenticeship scheme will be reintroduced to ensure that young people starting in the workforce have the opportunity to gain vocational training in the workplace on the same basis as free education is provided for in tertiary institutions.

Jim Anderton said the Alliance is committed to full employment.

'Every other party has given up on full employment. Treasury says that under National and Act's policies, we'll have the same level of unemployment for the next fifty years.

'The Alliance believes we can aim for full employment. The market alone won't achieve it, so we need the government to invest in partnership with local government the private sector.

'The experience of other developed countries such as Ireland and Finland has been that the intelligent assistance for regions with high unemployment helps not just the region affected, but the economy as a whole.

'If I am Minister of Economic Development and Employment, we will start work immediately to create jobs in the export industries of the future.'

Visit http://www.alliance.org.nz for more information about the Alliance

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