Youth Futures Foundation responds to Government plans to reform public procurement to support more young people into work

"Youth Futures Foundation welcomes the Government’s ambition to use public procurement as a lever to tackle youth unemployment and economic inactivity. With more than one in eight young people currently not in employment, education or training, this represents a positive opportunity to drive meaningful, long-term impact through the actions of suppliers and employers.

"The success of these plans will depend on the detail. It will be important for Government to engage employers closely from the outset to thoughtfully design an approach that is practical and sets businesses up for success to adapt their workforce strategies to support these ambitions effectively. This includes clarity on expectations, reasonable time to prepare and practical guidance, particularly for SMEs who play a critical role in creating opportunities for young people.

"To achieve sustainable change, employers will also need access to high-quality, evidence-based guidance on what works in recruitment and retention – moving beyond how we simply create more opportunities towards a focus on good work, higher retention rates and better progression for young people to build long-term careers.

"Whilst employers are a key part of the solution, wider integrated system support is needed, particularly to meaningfully help young people facing the greatest barriers. Addressing both the supply and demand side challenges is key and join up across skills, labour market, employment, health and youth policy nationally and in places is essential. This includes coordinated action across schools, colleges, local authorities, youth organisations and business, as well as meaningful engagement with young people themselves.

"As the What Works Centre for Youth Employment, we will continue to work with employers, policy makers, providers, young people and more to bring about the system change needed to help ensure every young person can access good work."

Nishi Mayor, Director of Employer Engagement & Partnerships