Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg sought to rebuild his eradicated relationship with young voters this week, launching a government job scheme that seeks to put young people back into work.

The flagship scheme, said to be costing the government something in region of £1 Billion, is hoped to created up to 410,000 jobs for 18-24 year olds over the next three years.

The Youth Contract Scheme is built around subsidy payments to business of all sizes. The hope is that these “wage incentives”, worth £2,275, will be enough to encourage employers to take the possibility of hiring young people far more seriously.

The plans also include the creation of 250,000 work experience placements, something that has the potential to be a huge benefit for graduates as they seek to gain a few more references on their CVs after three years of academic study.

Figures released just this week from the Labour party indicates that youth employment is in truly dire straits, with the number of under 25s out of work having doubled since the beginning of last year, up from 53,000 to 107,000.

Championing the movement, Nick Clegg said: “What we are saying to employers is if you are wondering if you are going to take the plunge to employ a young person, then we will help you make that decision by providing some money ourselves. We hope that will tip the employer in favour of the young person.”