The Prime Minister today (30 June 2020) gave a speech announcing measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 on the UK economy.
Chief Executive of the Youth Futures Foundation, Anna Smee, commented:
‘We are delighted that the Prime Minister has reaffirmed his commitment to the Opportunity Guarantee to support young people into a training place, apprenticeship or job placement as we, and our partners in the Youth Employment Group (YEG), have called for in our recent report.
‘Young people have been hardest hit by the economic impact of Covid-19, with one million facing unemployment and reduced lifetime earnings. We must offer them rapid routes into good quality paid work with clear progression pathways.
‘We look forward to working closely with the Government to help develop recommendations to support young people into the labour market, particularly for those facing additional barriers. Evidence-led approaches such as personalised career advice, traineeships, sector-based work academies and targeted wage subsidies should be at the heart of the Opportunity Guarantee for young people. We need to ensure young people are equipped with the skills to meet the demands of the post-Covid-19 economy and the jobs of the future.’
The Youth Futures Foundation recently joined with 200 organisations across the UK, calling on the Government to publicly commit to a new Opportunity Guarantee that:
- Promotes job creation by investing in the jobs that we need for the future
- Doubles the capacity in services that help people into jobs, with greatest support for those facing disadvantage
- Provides an education place, apprenticeship, or job for every young person.
