Tackling Youth Unemployment

Over the last ten years, youth unemployment has nearly doubled to one million young people, rising steadily throughout the last decade. This was not a by-product of the Credit Crunch. For many years, Britain has struggled with poor schools, poor skills, and poor Government programmes.

In the last decade, teachers were spread too thinly. Maths and English suffered, and half a million children left primary school unable to read or write.

This impacts our skills. Today, just one third of British workers qualify as apprentices or gain technical skills. But in France the figure is 51 per cent, and in Germany it is 65 per cent. Our working age population is less skilled than France, Germany, and the US, and as a result, we are at least 15 per cent less productive than those countries.

The Government’s education reforms are welcome: a massive increase in Academy schools, a renewed emphasis on reading and writing, 250,000 new apprenticeships and 24 new University Technical Colleges, which will be led by local employers.

The Work Programme will be the centrepiece of the most sweeping welfare reform for 60 years: paying by results, to help people off benefits and into sustainable jobs.

But one of the most important changes, will be transforming apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Government plans to scrap up-front fees will help, as will enhancing the Level 3 apprenticeship to “Technician Level”. The UTCs will be revolutionary. Lord Baker has designed them as a conveyor belt to University in subjects like engineering, building design, and medical science. They will take students from pre-apprenticeship training at 14-years old, right through to Level 4 apprenticeships at 19-years old.

In fact some these policies are already coming to fruition. Through the determination of John Hayes (our Skills Minister), apprenticeships have been completely re-geared. There are signs the number of apprentices in England could hit 500,000 before 2015.

But we need to do more, to change the culture of apprenticeships, so they are seen as being as prestigious as going to university.

That is why a few weeks ago I launched a new “Apprentice Card” with the NUS. In a nutshell, the Card will finally put apprentices on a level-playing field with academic students, giving them similar discounts at high street stores, as well as free support services and legal advice - estimated at a value of £500. It will be the very first step towards establishing a National Society of Apprentices.

The effect of youth unemployment has been devastating for Britain, especially in recent years. But I believe with more Academies, the Work Programme, John Hayes’ apprenticeship reforms, and also with efforts like the Apprentice Card, there is some cause for hope.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com