Lizzie Crowley provided a comprehensive review of the reasons behind the high levels of youth unemployment, stating that it is a long-term structural problem that dates back to beyond the year 2000. One of the major factors contributing to youth unemployment is the loss of so many mid-band jobs that mean young people have to compete with displaced workers who have greater levels of experience and skills to offer employers.
Another challenge for young people is that the sectors with employment opportunities, such as the service, retail and care sectors, often require new recruits to have some form of experience, and with the demise of work experience and the Saturday job, that has become a major barrier for young people.
Andrew Taggart then provided a review of existing government policy and initiatives that aim to reduce youth unemployment, such as the new Youth Obligation, the 3 million apprenticeship target and the investment in the Careers and Enterprise Company. He made the point that there are so many initiatives across so many government departments that the strategy is not comprehensive, and that these initiatives need to be brought together to allow for real structural change and a greater positive impact on young people. The question as to whether the Earn and Learn taskforce can bring some much needed coordination remains.
Now that the context has been looked at the APPG will focus on looking at the initiatives that are having a positive impact at a local level, and is welcoming case studies from external organisations. The details of our subsequent meetings, and full minutes of yesterday’s meeting (including presentations), will be available on the APPG website.
