Last week saw the publication of the first findings of the Government-commissioned Millburn Review into the ongoing youth unemployment crisis. These findings paint a shocking picture of more than 1 million young people now classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs), with six in 10 never having worked, despite their continued efforts to find employment. While we await the recommendations of the second part of the Millburn Review, due to be published in the coming months, I wanted to highlight the measures already being taken by Government to tackle this issue, alongside the many other issues affecting young people today.
The Youth Guarantee, announced last year, sets out a £2.5 billion package of support for young people struggling to find and stay in work, which includes a guaranteed, fully subsidised 6-month paid job for 18-24 year olds on Universal Credit and out of work for at least 18 months. This scheme promises to supply more than 90,000 young people with a pathway into long-term employment over the next three years, whilst reducing the numbers of people reliant on state support.
On top of this, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden MP, announced a new Youth Jobs Grant for businesses who take on young people who have been out of work long-term. The business will in turn receive a £3,000 grant for doing so; supporting the businesses working hard to get a further 60,000 young people into work and keep them there.
Apprenticeships too will benefit from this scheme, an Apprenticeship Incentive of £2,000 for each new employee aged 16-24 taken on, bolstering apprenticeship creation by 50,000.
In the past few weeks, we have also seen the announcement of 130 colleges and universities, including our own University of Chester, will be receiving funding for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) scheme. This will give young people access to funding equivalent to four years of post-18 education, delivered in bitesize modules, which can be used throughout their working lives. This goes further to support not only school leavers, but both full-time and mature students too.
This is a complex issue, for which there is no single cure, but the Government and I will continue working to support young people into the workplace and build long-term careers.
If you are in need of support in this matter or any other, I hold regular surgery appointments, which you can sign up for by contacting my office at samantha.dixon.mp@parliament.uk.