As we mark the 12 month anniversary of the first lockdown today, I wanted to take the time to reflect back on the impact this year has had on young people in particular.
Covid has affected young people disproportionately, I along with colleagues from Impetus and Youth Futures Foundation told a public House of Lords Inquiry today. And coincidently the ONS released the latest employment figures today which shows that of the almost 700,000 people who have come off payroll since February last year two-thirds are under 25 labouring our points
It is not just those who have lost their jobs or have been placed on furlough that require our attention, it is the young people who are fresh to the labour market and those who were already struggling pre-pandemic that we must think of. We must think about those young people who face multiple barriers to employment and are struggling to see a future for themselves.
Young people have been telling us for years that they did not feel confident in their futures, that they would not find good quality jobs where they lived and the pandemic has amplified those concerns. We know that it has widened inequalities and structural issues that were already present, we had not solved youth unemployment before this pandemic and because of that it has swept through our young community who were left vulnerable to its economic impact.
Understanding the challenges that would face young people Youth Employment UK focused on providing more support than ever before to those young people who needed us, we ramped up our online services creating new programmes including a virtual work experience programme to step in where face-to-face services could not.
We joined colleagues to create the Youth Employment Group, which was instrumental in calling for an Opportunity Guarantee and has provided constant support and insight to policy leads and the wider sector during a difficult year. The Group has grown into a 200+ strong community of expert and committed professionals working across the youth employment sector. We have also led the APPG for Youth Employment Inquiry into the #PlanforJobs and submitted a number of evidence pieces to support policy development.
We have mobilised employers too, for without employers there will be no opportunity. Making it easy and free to be recognised as a youth friendly employer and to access our guidance and support was crucial. Again over 200 organisations have joined our call to create quality opportunities for young people and we are connecting those opportunities with the 190,000+ young people using our site every month.
Youth Employment UK has worked tirelessly as many have, our quest firmly fixed on tackling youth unemployment and supporting the hundreds of thousands of young people who are at risk of falling through the cracks. But no organisation can do this alone and whilst we are ever grateful for our partners and the young people in our network working hard with us to create change, it is time for the government to level up for young people. Because it is not true that you can grow up anywhere to anyone and thrive in the UK, but that should be the shared vision and mission of todays government.
Young people are talented and in fact their skills will soon be in demand as the economy bounces back, so it is time for a long-term and ambitious plan for young people. It is time politicians stepped up and set out a vision beyond the pandemic for young people, it is time to rewrite the future and to design services that lift the life chances of everyone.
