Youth voice in policymaking: Future Voices Group share Jobcentre experience with MPs

Ambassadors of Youth Futures Foundation’s Future Voices Group recently shared their lived experiences of finding employment and using Jobcentres in a special youth voice session with the House of Commons Work & Pensions Select Committee.

The session was part of the Committee’s inquiry into Reforming Jobcentres, part of a series led by the Committee examining proposals laid out in the Government’s Get Britain Working white paper.  

The youth voice session was facilitated by Youth Futures at the request of the Committee – and a great opportunity to amplify the voices and perspectives of young people to ensure those most affected by the system are at the heart of efforts to change it

Our Future Voices Group reflect on taking part

The Future Voices Group is comprised of 15 young people aged 18 to 24 from across England who are underrepresented in the labour market.  Their voices and lived experience help inform different areas of Youth Futures’ work.

In the session, the group gave their views directly to committee members on proposed reforms, including their experience of claiming Universal Credit. They spoke candidly about the challenges they’ve faced when engaging with Jobcentres and what changes they believe are needed.

“It’s not often you get the chance to speak directly to MPs and share your perspective”, said Artemis, one of our Future Voice Group Ambassadors.  “I really valued having the space to talk openly about what it’s like as a young person navigating the Jobcentre system.”  

What our Future Voices Group members told MPs

The group raised several key insights on their experiences with Jobcentres:

1. Awareness of Jobcentres was generally low, and experiences with them were largely negative: Young people knew Jobcentres existed but did not use them as they were unaware of the services available.
2. Services were often seen as poorly tailored for young people: This included not being tailored to their needs or aspirations.
3. Many were unaware of Jobcentre services that could have supported them: Young people identified missed opportunities where Jobcentres could have supported with finding an apprenticeship or developing CVs.
4. Stigma associated with use of Jobcentre services often deterred engagement: Young people highlighted that they associated Jobcentres with ‘benefits’; ‘stigmatisation’; ‘pressure’; ‘Universal Credit’.
5. Jobcentres were commonly perceived as being intended for older adults: Reflecting that services could be better signposted at school.
6. Other services that offered holistic, personalised, wraparound support – such as training on CV writing, job application support, and coaching – were seen as more beneficial: This included positive experiences of career support provided via numerous services, including Government, education providers and other programmes.