Angela Constance: A Yes vote would help give young Scots a future SCOTLAND'S youth unemployment rate is not only lower than the UK; only six out of 27 European Union countries have a lower rate. Job figures published last week also showed the largest fall in our youth unemployment in 20 years. The latest figures give me confidence that our all-Scotland approach is working. Ensuring that employment and skills services across Scotland help our young people into work is my top priority and Scottish Government resources are firmly focused on this. We are also working hard to get the most out of the UK government's employment schemes. For example, by linking our Community Jobs Scotland programme and the Department for Work and Pensions Work Choice scheme, we are supporting young people with disabilities or long-term health conditions into part-time jobs for up to 18 months. However, trying to work within that UK system limits how we respond and not having the powers to direct employment services to meet the needs of young people and employers is holding us back. Without full powers we are unable to implement the youth guarantee proposed by the European Commission, which would guarantee all 16- to 24-year-olds a quality opportunity after four months of becoming unemployed. Opportunities for All, our guarantee that all 16- to 19-year-olds in Scotland are offered a place in education or training, takes us a long way towards a youth guarantee. However, employment services are critical in implementing this guarantee in full. These are the responsibility of the UK government and it does not agree with the majority of EU countries that intervention at four months is required. I have no doubt that the full integration of employment and skills services in Scotland would allow us to provide better support to those who need it, when they need it and where they need it. In September 2014 we all have a choice, and a vote for independence is something I believe can deliver real opportunities for young people. It is for all of us to ensure that today's young people play a full role in building Scotland's future. Angela Constance is minister for youth employment in the Scottish Government.