Dear Editor,

LAST week the Government released its Get Britain Working Again white paper, including measures such as stopping the benefits of young people who don’t take up work or training opportunities, alongside support to address barriers such as mental health issues.

Today’s young people have grown up during austerity, the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis.

Their lives and the lives of people around them have been getting harder and harder, and many of them are struggling.

Nacro works with these disadvantaged young people in our education and housing services, and recently interviewed to them for our Truth About Youth report. We found a generation of young people who wanted to find a job and understood that hard work and education were the route to get there.

Contrary to many stereotypes the careers they wanted weren’t YouTube star or footballer. These are the country’s childminders, bricklayers, and hairdressers. However, they also reported facing many challenges; a lack of self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness and a dearth of local opportunities were just some examples.

We welcome Government’s commitment to improve access to mental health services for young people and expand on opportunities for work experience and careers advice. If we are to get more young people working we need to break down the barriers they face, especially for those who face the most disadvantage, and this means ensuring that we have properly funded support systems and services in place that specifically help young people who are struggling.

The Government need to listen to what young people, especially disadvantaged young people, are telling them and work with them on the solution. It is our responsibility to ensure all young people have the support they need to find the bright future they deserve.

Yours,

Campbell Robb