Today the Government has launched a new scheme and ambition to move 500,000 people currently on Universal Credit into employment.
The key headlines of the scheme called Way to Work are that job seekers will be encouraged to apply for jobs outside of their skills, experience or ambition. Failure to make reasonable efforts to find a job or if claimants turn down work within a smaller window of 4 weeks, could result in them experiencing sanctions including having their benefits cut.
In support of Job Seekers there will be increased opportunities to spend time with work coaches, there will be greater engagement with employers and adaptations to recruitment processes.
In December there were 689,000 young people Not in Education, Employment & Training, and if government are to really move the dial on this stubbornly high figure, Sanctions are not the way to go. It is important to recognise the root causes of youth unemployment and the place that young people are in today.
In the 2021 Youth Voice Census young people told us that they did not believe the Jobcentre was a place to get support even when finding themselves unemployed. We heard that motivation to find work was low due to the impacts of Covid on anxiety, opportunities for careers education and work experience were affected by school closures and young people had less access to part-time jobs, with the big youth employment sectors shut down. We also heard that young people do not believe there are good quality jobs where they live.
Beyond the challenges caused by Covid on young people’s experiences it is the systemic structural issues that need the governments attention. Young people are swept through systems and processes that are no longer working. We have to work with and for young people to create systems that allow all young people to fulfil their potential.
Using the stick of Sanctions will address none of these issues and will deter young people from getting the support that they need.
