Alan Milburn’s interim report should be a wake-up call. It describes a generational fault line: nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training, with numbers rising further unless we act.
Behind every statistic is a young person with talent, potential and hopes for the future. Too often, when I speak to young people in West Cumbria, I hear the same thing: they want to work, train or study, but do not always know where to start; cannot see the route into local jobs; or need support to take the first step.
This is not a new problem. The last government left young people facing a thinner first rung on the career ladder, fewer apprenticeship starts and a system that often waited until problems became crises. Alan Milburn is right that this needs more than another programme layered on top of a broken system. It needs schools, colleges, employers, health services, councils and government working together.
The Labour Government has started that work. A £1 billion youth employment drive will help create 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships for young people. A new Youth Jobs Grant will give businesses £3,000 for hiring eligible young people aged 18 to 24. The Jobs Guarantee is being expanded, and new apprenticeship incentives will help small and medium sized businesses take on more young workers. The principle is simple: every young person should have the chance to earn or learn.
Here in West Cumbria, I want us to go further. What are the obstacles that young people are facing in West Cumbria that present barriers to accessing education, employment or training? Contact me so we can look at how to overcome them and reach NEET Zero in our area.
We are not starting from scratch. The nuclear industry and its supply chain already do important social impact work in this space, opening doors through careers events, apprenticeships, workplace engagement and skills programmes. The council and the NHS also have a number of schemes in place. That work matters, and shows what is possible when major local employers take seriously their responsibility to the next generation.
This year I am sponsoring the Festival of Work, the annual event led by the nuclear industry to show pupils local opportunities. My sponsorship means it will be widened beyond nuclear, bringing in routes from major employers like the NHS to universities including Oxford, so young people can see all the futures open to them.
At the festival I will bring together young people, schools, colleges, training providers, employers and local partners for a roundtable on what is holding young people back and what we can do together.
West Cumbria has world-class industries and brilliant young people. Our job now is to connect the two, remove barriers, and make sure no young person is written off.
Josh MacAlister MP 