Shocking figures are emerging about the rapid growth in youth unemployment, as the recession goes on. A recent report from the Local Government Association (Hidden Talents: Re-engaging Young People) predicts that one million young people will soon be out of work – equivalent to a city the size of Birmingham populated entirely with young people, with much talent and energy to offer, but unable to break into the world of work.
In response, the government has brought forward a series of initiatives aimed principally at unemployed 18–24 year olds – including swifter entry into New Deal support, a guarantee of a job or training place after 12 months of unemployment and a Future Jobs Fund to create sustainable employment opportunities. Welcome as these measures are, they seem to offer nothing for young people aged 16 and 17.
According to the latest national statistics, just over 200,000 16 and 17 year olds in the UK were unemployed in the second quarter of 2009, with an unemployment rate of 30% for the age group (of those seeking work). While most have been jobless for less than six months, there has been an alarming rise in the number out of work for more 12 months: up 50% on last year, to 20,000.
These figures are deeply worrying. We know from the last recession that long-term unemployment at this age can have 'scarring' effect on future employment and earnings' prospects and that those with lower level skills are worse affected. As a recent report from the Work Foundation (Unemployment and the Role of the Third Sector) observed 'This can be the beginning of a cycle of disadvantage that is transmitted across generations'. Yet there appear to be no employment initiatives targeted at this age group, beyond a community service scheme.
Why the lack of focus on unemployed 16 and 17 year olds?
Part of the explanation must lie in the policy presumption, reinforced by last year's Education and Skills Act, that young people in England should continue in education and training until they are 18. This ambitious reform programme is commonly (and misleadingly) referred to as 'raising the school leaving age'.
The main thrust of policy development so far has been on broadening the learning offer – with new diplomas, more apprenticeships and a foundation learning tier – and overhauling the planning and delivery of 14–19 education and training. There have also been a variety of pilots focused on re-engaging young people in learning – learning agreements, activity agreements and entry to learning. There is a great deal to be welcomed but again, a critical element remains missing: the employment pathway.
Let us not forget that employment will remain an option for 16 and 17 year olds when the Education and Skills Act comes into force, providing it involves a minimum level of accredited training. Thus far, policy-makers have had little to say on their strategy for young people in jobs without training, let alone for those who are unemployed.
Tackling 'the NEET problem'
Yet it is progress on this front which will be key to making inroads into the so-called 'NEET' population (young people not in education, employment or training). The fact is that many young people want to work or train in the workplace when they are 16 and this may be the best option for them, playing to their strengths and interests better than academic or theoretical vocational learning in a school or college environment.
Last year Barnardo's carried out research with young people in our vocational training and youth support services across the UK, who were (or had recently been) NEET (see Second Chances: Re-engaging Young People in Education and Training). One of the most striking findings – contrary to media stereotypes about idle, feckless youngsters – was how motivated these young people were to work or to learn new skills which would lead to a job.
But their motivation risked turning to disaffection in the face of desperately few opportunities in the areas in which they lived. Already trapped in unemployment, and many of them living in communities which have already suffered generational unemployment, there is a real danger that these young people will come to believe that work is not, and will never be, for them.
The research threw light on some of the ways in which spending time in the workplace helped to transform attitudes and aspirations.
Young people who had struggled with the rules and restrictions of the school environment rapidly came to understand the need to be punctual, reliable and presentable to get – and keep – a job. They found it easier to accept rules in the workplace and appreciated being treated like an adult.
Young people not only gained new vocational skills in the workplace, but they grew in confidence and maturity. They enjoyed learning alongside experienced tradespeople and gaining industry certificates, for example in construction site safety or forklift truck driving, which would help them to get jobs in future.
Partnerships with supportive local employers make this sort of opportunity possible. There is a constant need for more such opportunities, ranging from short tasters to training placements, apprenticeships and real jobs. Relationships with employers need to be built and sustained at local level, but in today's challenging economic circumstances, there is an urgent need for government to think creatively about how to encourage employers to open their doors to many more disadvantaged young people.
It would be unfair to say that the government has neglected the work-based route altogether, given the tremendous effort being devoted to expanding apprenticeships. But here too, we need to sharpen the focus on disadvantaged young school leavers. Beneath a healthy overall growth rate of 19% in level 2 apprenticeships starting during 2007/08, the number of 16-18 year olds embarking on this route grew by less than 2%, while completions fell by 6%.
Regrettably, apprenticeships remain beyond the reach of many of Barnardo's trainees, whose difficult childhoods and failure to achieve all they were capable of in school, often mean that they lack the GCSE results and social skills sought by employers. But with a little support and the chance to prove what they are capable of, they can go on to become hard-working and reliable employees.
Urgent need for action
Barnardo's supported the Education and Skills Act 2008 because we believed it represented an historic opportunity to improve opportunities for the thousands of disadvantaged young people who leave education at 16, ill-equipped for the modern workplace. As a nation we have been complacent in accepting such a high level of wastage.
But while the government, regional and local partners across England are frantically laying the groundwork to deliver on this ambitious reform programme, thousands of 16 and 17 year olds have already left education and are trapped in unemployment. They include some of our most disadvantaged and vulnerable youngsters. Let's not wait until they're 18 to help them find a job or a training place: they need real opportunities and they need them now.
Martin Narey is the Chief Executive of Barnardo's. Previously he was director general of the Prison Service, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service and permanent secretary at the Home Office.
Anne Pinney is an Assistant Director in Barnardo's Policy & Research Unit, leading on education.
