The Department of Youth in Vélez-Málaga is to start an initiative to help the young unemployed in the area as well as the driving schools, badly hit by the crisis, by offering €100 towards the cost of obtaining a driving licence.
The initiative is being introduced with the support of 12 driving schools in the municipality and will, in the first instance, benefit around 100 people.
A start date of somewhere between March 15th and 30th has been agreed and to qualify, candidates must meet a number of requirements, such as being unemployed, aged between 18 years and 30 years and resident in Vélez-Málaga for at least a year. In the next few days it will be studied to see if any other requirements are necessary, such as an income limit.
To actually receive the assistance, the candidates must pass the driving test within four months of enrolment and the idea is to pay the grant directly to the driving schools. According to representatives of the driving schools, there has been a 72% decline in the number of people enrolling to get a driving licence as a result of the economic crisis.
A driving licence is seen as an important asset when applying for jobs, but the average cost of courses is between €500 and €600.
If the initiative is a success, the Council may consider expanding the scheme. The initial cost is expected to be in the region of €10,000.