The APPG for Youth Employment held its second evidence session for its latest inquiry “A place based approach to youth unemployment.” The session heard evidence from key stakeholders including the Local Government Association, the West Midlands Combined Authority, Darlington Borough Council, Bourne Leisure and the Association of Colleges.
The central message that emerged from the session was the recognition from all key stakeholders that developing a place based approach to tackling youth unemployment is vital in addressing locale specific challenges facing young people, removing barriers to opportunity and helping more young people into good quality work, education and training.
The session was held on the 25th April in the House of Commons and was attended by the Chair for the APPG for Youth Employment, Shaun Bailey MP, and a number of stakeholders and sector experts. The inquiry also heard oral evidence from two young people sharing their own experience of place based disadvantage and the impacts this had on their access to opportunities.
The importance of a place based approach to youth unemployment
An expert panel of stakeholders shared with the inquiry the importance of developing a place based approach to youth unemployment as well as the barriers facing local authorities, education providers and employers in working towards this.
- A place based approach allows interventions and support to be better targeted at young people most at risk of unemployment and those in the greatest need of support.
- Service design can be tailored to respond to local labour market challenges and the needs of young people when approached from a place based perspective.
- Local authorities and councils are uniquely positioned to understand the specific challenges and needs of their areas.
- A place based approach allows national policy to be flexed to fit the needs of individual areas.
- Youth voice and co-design is an important element of any place based approach to youth unemployment
- At its best, a place based approach to youth unemployment is able to bring together various stakeholders in a local area to coordinate support services, skills training, education and employment opportunities, so that young people have clear pathways.
- Careers advice that is tailored to local labour markets and linked to education and training opportunities available locally allow young people to make informed decisions about their future.
The challenges to developing place based approaches to youth unemployment
- A lack of clear coordination of stakeholders across the youth employment and education sector at a local level can lead to a ‘crowded marketplace’ of provision without a clear strategic overview.
- Local authorities can face constraints around funding which can make it difficult to address the specific needs of the young people in their areas.
- The short term nature of funding for employment services and other programmes for young people make it challenging for local authorities to develop and execute long term plans to address youth unemployment.
- National policy can also be a constraint on the powers of local authorities to undertake activities that may address the needs of the young people in their area.
- Cuts in funding to local community groups, youth agencies and other organisations undertaking youth work is negatively impacting young people’s career prospects in communities.
Expert Speakers
We would like to thank all speakers who provided evidence at the session, their names, roles and organisations are listed below:
- Councillor Gillian Ford, Deputy Chair of the LGA City and Regions Board, Local Government Association
- Dr Fiona Aldridge, Head of Skills Insight, West Midlands Combined Authority
- Clare Boden-Hatton, Director of Operations Employment and Skills, West Midlands Combined Authority
- Councillor Jon Clarke, Darlington Borough Council
- Andrew Perkin, Business Growth and Investment Manager, Darlington Borough Council
- Eddie Playfair, Senior Policy Manager, Association of Colleges
- Dean Giles, Head of Learning and Development, Bourne Leisure
- Laudy, Youth Ambassador, Youth Employment UK
- Michelle, Youth Ambassador, Youth Employment UK
Further Inquiry Information
For further details on the inquiry and to access a full inquiry briefing, including how to submit evidence, please access the inquiry launch page.
Submissions for written evidence will close on Friday 5th May 2023 at 5pm.
Further information about the report launch will be available in due course. To keep up to date with the progress of the inquiry and other activity from the APPG for Youth Employment sign up to our newsletter by emailing joshua@youthemployment.org.uk.
