School and college leavers aged 16-24 will "bear the brunt" of Gordon Brown's "economic mismanagement", Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said.He accused the prime minister of "pointless initiatives" and warned against a "poisonous legacy" of unemployment for the next generation.
At a one-day conference in London he also outlined plans for better college funding and tackling student debt.
Last week Mr Brown announced a scheme to create 35,000 more apprenticeships.
But the prime minister's efforts will not create a single new permanent job, Mr Clegg added.
Today's school leavers could be the first generation in living memory "to end up worse off than their parents", he claimed.
'On the scrapheap'
According to the Lib Dem leader, two million young people who grew up under a Labour government live in poverty and are now being "hit hard by the recession".
He added: "After having already suffered under Gordon Brown's failure to sort out our education system, this generation now bears the heaviest brunt of his economic mismanagement.
"We have to make sure this recession does not leave a poisonous legacy for teenagers and young adults. We must not allow a whole generation to end up on the scrapheap of long-term unemployment."
He also questioned the effectiveness of Mr Brown's efforts to boost the economy - including a £140m government scheme to boost apprenticeships - claiming it would not lead to a single new permanent job.
Promising internships to graduates does nothing to address the fear of permanent unemployment, he said.
He also claimed the government is creating new apprenticeships when "thousands of existing apprentices are being thrown off their courses".
In a reference to Mr Brown's plan to help 500,000 people into work or training, announced at a "jobs summit" on Monday, he added: "He tries to bribe businesses struggling to keep their heads above water with £2,500 to take on the long-term unemployed - that won't create a single job."
The Lib Dems say they would scrap that plan and put all additional funding into new apprenticeships.
Mr Clegg told the BBC he wants to transform the entire education system, starting with the very young and improved childcare and smaller infant class sizes.
He also said the Lib Dems would provide better college funding to give students the same support as in universities and would tackle "crippling" student debt.
Source: BBC 17th January 2009
