UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, today announced new measures aimed at giving more intensive help to those who are out of work and guaranteeing education or training for all school leavers.

The PM outlined the proposals in a speech at an employment summit in London this morning following last week’s announcement of increased funding to supply 35,000 new apprenticeships.

In his speech, Brown highlighted £500m to be spent on providing recruitment subsidies for employers, financial help for new business start-ups and enhanced training opportunities for those out of work. The investment is expected to help 500,000 people into work or training over the next two years, he said. 

Brown  said:

“With the steps we take today; with the guarantees of support for young and old alike; and with the public investment that this government is prepared to make - it is our determination that Britain lead the world in showing what we can do to help the unemployed and create the jobs of the future - and we can do it best in partnership: Britain working best when Britain works together.”

The investment forms part of the UK government’s £10 billion fiscal stimulus that will bring forward public works programmes and create or protect as many as 100,000 jobs in the next year. The PM added that more details of measures such as the school-leaver’s guarantee will be included in a White Paper on opportunities to be released later this week.

Brown also encouraged employers to help create job opportunities by setting up Local Employment Partnerships. These partnerships have helped more than 90,000 long-term unemployed into work since they first were established in 2007.

In New York, stocks have fallen Monday on concerns about the fourth quarter quarter earnings season.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 76 points, or 0.89%, at 8523, hit  by a 7% drop in component aluminum maker Alcoa, which is due to report after the closing bell.

Dow component Citigroup has plunged over 10% on reports that it may sell a controlling stake in its Smith Barney brokerage unit to rival Morgan Stanley.

The S&P 500 is off 1.64% and the Nasdaq is down 1.54%.

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In Europe, the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 dropped 1.58% and most markets closed down Monday.

Bloomberg says European Central Bank President Jean- Claude Trichet, who chaired the Global Economy Meeting of central bankers today, said the world will emerge from its economic slump next year.

“Globally we have the sentiment that 2010 will be the year of pickup, of significant pickup,”Trichet said at a press conference in Basel, Switzerland. Government and central bank measures to stimulate economic growth and revive lending “will progressively play a positive role,” he said.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts that advanced economies will contract simultaneously this year for the first time since World War II. Governments have bailed out banks stricken by the financial crisis and boosted spending in a bid to shelter their economies, while central banks have cut borrowing costs and pumped billions into their banking systems.

In Dublin, the ISEQ Index fell 1.66%.

Anglo Irish rose 14%; CRH dropped 5.55 and Elan declined 5%.