The coronavirus has meant that the Government has taken some tough decisions to keep people safe, but we all know there will be an economic consequence. Those of us who have lived through previous recessions will know that when we have an economic downturn it is young people who are hit the hardest. Often with no savings or assets, insecure jobs and ever-increasing living costs. According to the Resolution Foundation, nearly a quarter of employees aged 18-24 have been furloughed and a further 9% have lost their jobs completely. So we will focus on rebuilding our economy and in particular ensure that younger workers are given access to high-quality employment and training opportunities.
Last week the Chancellor announced a massive package of measures all designed to support people into work and develop their skills – and in doing so their opportunities.
There are new financial incentives to encourage businesses to take on trainees and apprentices – and targeted support for the high demand courses where we have significant skills gaps including engineering, digital, education, health & social care and construction. This will help to develop the necessary pipeline of talent and skills our country needs.
Alongside this we’re launching a new £2 billion ‘Kick Starter’ scheme that will pay businesses to open up positions specifically for 16-24-year olds. This scheme will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and I hope that the expanded national careers service will be able to ensure school leavers will have every opportunity presented to them.
Before the lockdown, less than 4% of the population were unemployed, which is a scary thing for anyone to face but especially those who have their working lives ahead of them. That is why new, dedicated youth work coaches are coming to our job centres to help the younger generation find employment that is right for them. We are also tripling the number of sector-based work academy’s that offer short courses to unemployed people so they can develop valuable skills and make themselves more appealing to potential employers. There is also The Skills Toolkit (theskillstoolkit.campaign.gov.uk) which has a range of short digital and numeracy courses which are highly valuable to employers and free for all.
All of these new measures feed into the Prime Minister’s promise of an ‘Opportunity Guarantee’ which means every young person will have the chance to get an apprenticeship or an in-work placement.
I have always believed it is the job of Government to create opportunity and remove barriers wherever possible. I will be overseeing lots of these new initiatives as the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills and my aim is to turn this crisis into an opportunity to develop the skills we need to build a brighter and greener future for all.
