Did you actually ask what I want / need as a young person ?

@JacksonRParsons CEO of @TheYouthGroupHQ challenges @RishiSunak to kickstart the job scheme. 

Jack says you have to plaudit the government and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak for their commitment to help young people given they are being hit so hard by COVID19. 

Every commitment helps and it is great to see the govt recognising the need to help our younger generation BUT how many young people were consulted? Jack asks the Chancellor?

Jack worries that yet again this is another PR’able announcement with insufficient consultation and thought behind it. He asks provocatively how many young people have been asked if this is the way to solve the problems they face? 

In spite of growth in awareness and support for young people getting into employment, levels of youth unemployment remain uncomfortably high, underemployment is on the rise  and young people from social mobility backgrounds are still being left behind. This leads me to ask the question of whether the establishment really does understand young people?

Young people, aged 18 to 30, are almost three times as likely to be unemployed as any other age groups combined. Disadvantaged young people, such as those who come from less affluent social backgrounds are particularly likely to be unemployed and as such face multiple and complex barriers in life. From personal experience I know what it’s like to be one of these young people, and I am one of the lucky ones.

Jack said he liked the sentiment of the announcement however it was important that it is immediately understandable and accessible to both young people and employers. Other recent announcements like the bounce back loan offered to small businesses created confusion so are employers ready and willing to act accordingly to make these subsidised roles a reality ?

Jack feels that this program will also come with a number of teething issues when it comes to employers accessing and activating this fund. It is also important that we don’t create a culture where companies and employers are only taking young people on because they’re getting a subsidy. Enterprises need to take a long hard look at their vacancies and openings for young people and embrace this demographic (from all backgrounds) as part of the workforce because they are their “future players” not because they are lobbied to. 

Also how will this scheme ensure that those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds get the most help! Employers and the govt itself is rife with nepotism so we need to ensure democracy prevails and those that have the fewest opportunities, get the most support.

Getting young people into jobs and training is so important however we must involve the youth in the conversation to help them shape what the future of employment looks like.

Jackson Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, The Youth Group