On Wednesday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment gathered at the Houses of Parliament for the first meeting of Youth Employment UK’s inquiry into the barriers that affect young people furthest from the labour market. Youth Employment UK is the acting secretariat with Michael Tomlinson MP hosting.
THE LATEST YOUTH EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
The meeting started by Michael Tomlinson MP and Laura-Jane Rawlings highlighting the latest youth unemployment statistics and discussing the encouraging progress that has been made in this area over the summer months to reduce youth unemployment across the United Kingdom. For June to August 2017, the unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 11.9%, lower than for a year earlier (13.7%). We’re heading in the right direction, with the latest figure being close to the lowest ever rate of youth unemployment at 11.6% in 2001. The latest statistic is much lower than the peak level of youth unemployment (22.5%) which was shown in late 2011, however, there is still much room for improvement when we compare the UKs latest figure to that of countries both in and outside of Europe where further efforts are being made to combat and tackle youth unemployment issues. Germany is currently winning the fight to find employment for young people in Europe with their rate of youth unemployment being a miniscule 6.4% – bravo Germany!
AN INSPIRING AND MOTIVATING GUEST SPEAKER
We were lucky enough to have Mark Pike of Develop EBP presenting at October’s APPG. Develop EBP is a not-for-profit organisation which delivers a comprehensive range of education and training programmes across the Eastern region. Over the last 20 years they have successfully worked with over 150,000 learners and 10,000 companies. Mark’s clear passion and drive to provide opportunities for young people moving into employment and work experience was apparent throughout the meeting as he inspired and engaged with a packed room full of interested delegates as he discussed the current barriers which young people furthest from the labour market face daily when trying to participate with employers of all sizes in the UK. Mark highlighted what needs to be done to improve Work Related Learning for schools, colleges and work-based learning providers whilst also emphasising how employers, schools and families can work with young people to increase their skills and help with career progression.
WORKING WITH THOSE FURTHEST FROM THE LABOUR MARKET
One of Youth Employment UK’s Ambassador’s, Patrick Cantellow talked about how many of the schools he engages with in the Swale district of Kent in south east England choose not to engage with work experience due to a lack of support in the current curriculum. Patrick explained that schools have been engaging with social action activities in order to gain experience and make a difference.
AN AFFIRMATIVE START TO OUR INQUIRY
College and school students with special educational needs, disabilities and those furthest from the labour market are missing out on vital work-related activities compared with their non-SEN and non-disabled peers and this needs to change fast. A good place for any young person to start on the journey of getting work experience on your CV is to get involved in engaging with employers through their schools and colleges, although, they need the backing of their school/college and the national curriculum to do this well. Looking ahead to the next two meetings in this enquiry, I’m confident that Youth Employment UK will continue to make exciting improvements to youth unemployment rates and employer engagement in schools across the country.
Harvey Morton is one of our volunteer Youth Ambassadors, Harvey is an entrepreneur from Sheffield and founded Harvey Morton IT Support. Harvey is an active ambassador for Youth Employment UK and is passionate about helping young people explore their chosen careers and start their own business.
Next Steps:
- To find out more and submit evidence to our Series 1 inquiry click here
- If you want to know more about the latest employment and unemployment data you can read more here.
- If you or someone you know might be interested in becoming a Youth Ambassador you can find out more here
