How can we improve education and employment outcomes for young people, including care leavers and young adult carers?
Life chances are closely linked to people’s background. Talent is evenly distributed across the country, but opportunity is not, with particularly stark inequalities for some groups. Our Youth Opportunity Index showed how young people’s chances vary depending on where they live. Care leavers and the UK’s 300,000 young adult carers are far more likely to be out of education and employment.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to learn and work. Our Youth Commission has looked at how to improve education and employment outcomes for young people. We’re working to improve learning and skills support for care leavers. And we’re arguing for changes to policy and delivery of services for young adult carers. Our focus is making sure policy and practice work for everyone.
The Coronavirus crisis risks widening existing social inequalities in our society. Research by Learning and Work Institute shows that young people, women and people with no qualifications are some of the groups most at risk from its economic effects. We need to avoid this by providing support with digital and other essential skills to access online opportunities, and provide active back to work and career support for those most at risk.
We’re working to ensure young adult carers get the employment and skills support they need by trying to improve policy and practice.
Care leavers are young people aged over 16 who have been in local authority care, some for all of their childhood, and have subsequently left the care system or are in the process of doing so.
Young people in theory have a world filled with opportunity and longer lives to enjoy it. But for too many these opportunities are out of reach. This is a tale of two countries and the challenge that our Youth Commission has tackled.
