Press Release – 17.02.2015
By Jack Welch – YEUK Young Ambassador
Youth employment is firmly back on the government and political radar. With unemployment statistics for 16-24 year olds stagnant at 767,000, and worryingly increasing still, as well as being the highest age group to be working on Zero Hour Contracts. The LGA and Select Committee have also highlighted concerns that there are potentially lots more young people off the radar.
Prime Minister David Cameron has today announced further measures to toughen up on 
welfare provision for young people if they were to win the next General Election. The proposals put forward today comes just after Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would guarantee up to 80,0000 more apprenticeship places for school leavers by 2020.
In his speech outlined in Hove today, Cameron stated that “Your first experience of the benefits system should be that yes, you can get help – but it isn’t something for nothing, and you need to put something back into your community too.” The announcements include enforcing young people to do community work if they are out of work for longer than six months and will no longer receive ordinary JobSeekers Allowance. They will instead have a ‘Youth Allowance’, which will provide the same amount as JSA, but will have to spend 30 hours a week working unpaid in the community and 10 hours a week of job searching. Labour have come back and said that the previously tested measure “will do absolutely nothing to get young people into real jobs.” They have already announced their Jobs Guarantee package for the unemployed, which they say will get young people into paid and sustainable work, if they were to be elected to form the next government.
With existing penalties, like the sanctions as part of Universal Credit and the proposed cut to Housing Benefit for under-21s by the Conservatives, they and the main opposition have created distinctive policies this time around on the future of welfare provision to young people. YEUK continues to work, as it always has, alongside both employers and young people to achieve our goal that youth unemployment is reduced drastically from the present numbers. With 50,000 18-21 year olds to face the prospect of becoming a NEET is a crisis which we cannot afford to ignore both main parties have rightly begun to address this before the General Election.
We remain unsure as to whether mandatory voluntary work will establish a boost in success in finding employment as a direct result of a community programme. Young people will still require the support and guidance in not only just applying for every job vacancy available, but also the skills that will make them work ready and are equipped with relevant transferable skills. Supporting our schools to offer work experience and good quality careers information should not be overlooked. For any policy to really work a consultation with young people must take place. Would further sanctions make them avoid benefits and shy away from support or would positive work experiences encourage them to get the help available? We cannot assume we know what young people want or need.
Both the present government and Labour administration have failed so far to find a suitable solution in which rates of youth unemployment have decreased. YEUK will not judge alone from policy announcements and ideas that are yet to be realised. It will be about the impact upon young people, whether for better or worse, when those proposals are in place in whatever government elected will be held accountable.
For the editor
YEUK is working hard to ensure that young people are being represented on the issues that affect them. Youth unemployment is a major problem and YEUK represents over 10,000 young people, employers, youth organisations and educators, bringing a central voice for all things youth employment.
Please contact the office for more information 0844 4143101
