Unemployment got back into the spotlight today as David Cameron set out his aims for “full employment” and DWP launched their #GetBritainWorking campaign.
The ambition to have full employment is one we would endorse, but “Getting Britain Working” to coin a phrase is not just about creating jobs. If only it were that simple!
Our focus of course is on youth unemployment, and we know that there are many barriers for young people to gain entry into the world of work:
- Education – Young people need to understand what “qualifications” are required by employers so that they can choose courses and qualifications that will help them secure jobs where there is demand.
- Careers education – we are not ensuring young people have the core skills they need to access the world of work: Careers information, work experience, and the development of employability skills are all critical in helping young people to be prepared for work, yet according to a YEUK survey 30% of young people are not given the opportunity for work experience and only 1% of young people have been given information on all of their career and education options.
- Support – Some young people need more support than others to be ready for the world of work, for a plethora of individual reasons. Ensuring 1 to 1 support and youth services are available when and where they are needed is how these young people will get into work.
- Salaries – low salaries for young people can prove a barrier to employment, some young people can’t afford to work on a minimum apprentice salary where they have travel or living costs to manage. The creation of more zero hour or part-time contracts, or more low-paid apprenticeships won’t solve this.
- Logistics & Housing – Getting to work can be a problem for young people, not living near good transport links can be a barrier for young people, particularly those living in rural areas. For those living in communities with low numbers of employment opportunities there are wider issues in terms of housing and mobility that can impact on employment.
- Quality – Young people are aspirational and in the main they hope to find jobs that are challenging, enjoyable and create opportunities for development, helping employers to understand how to create these types of opportunities or affording them is key.
During this government we have seen a drop in unemployment and the creation of more apprenticeship opportunities which are all good signs for reduced youth unemployment. But we must see that there is a deeper understanding of the core issues and that government policy and hard cash are invested in tackling these barriers.
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Youth Employment UK CIC is the leading voice for youth employment.
For more information please visit www.yeuk.org.uk
