Responding to the launch of Alan Milburn's investigation into young people not earning or learning on Tuesday 16 December, Sam Avanzo Windett, L&W Deputy Director, said:
To get more young people earning or learning, we need to act fast and reach the young people who are missing out on help. Alan Milburn's investigation must build on the recent evidence which shows that twice as many young people are not working because of health reasons than 10 years ago, over half of NEET young people have never had a paid job, and half are not claiming benefits and risk missing out on support altogether. When young people are economically inactive, they are at risk of falling off the grid with long-term damage to their career prospects. We look forward to contributing our research and recommendations to help tackle these issues and transform the lives of young people, drive economic growth, and create a fair and prosperous society.
These numbers also mask substantial inequalities within construction. Women account for only 10 per cent of starts in construction apprenticeships so far this year, compared to 51 per cent of apprenticeships overall. In addition, this year only 9 per cent of construction starts are by individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds, with particularly big disparities for apprentices from black or Asian backgrounds.
The following years therefore present a unique opportunity to not only further boost apprenticeship numbers in the construction sector, but to expand their reach to wider groups. The new Government should work with employers and providers to seize this.
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Following the Government’s commitment to introducing a Youth Guarantee in England, something we first called for five years ago, L&W pursued a new programme of work.
This report, commissioned by Youth Futures Foundation and delivered by Learning and Work Institute, sets out the challenges and opportunities in young people’s interactions with the benefits system.
We are pleased to share our vision for an ambitious Youth Guarantee so that fewer than 10% of young people are NEET, and no young person who is able to engage with work or training is NEET for more than a year.