The government has today announced a £45 million work drive, with proposed changes to the welfare and out-of-work support systems, in a bid to get more people back in work and off benefits. In particular, the government has said that it wants to tackle the statistic that one in eight young people aged between 18 and 24 not currently in employment, education or training. It plans to do so by offering skills training to teenagers with institutions such as the Premier League, Royal Shakespeare Company and Channel 4.
There is no doubt that we need to get young people earning or learning again. Over three quarters of a million young people are not studying, working, or looking for a job – an increase of 48 per cent in just two years. A third blame poor mental health and a record number cite long-term sickness.
How do we get teenagers to do work experience with the RSC if we tell them the theatre is a ‘middle class pursuit’?
The UK is the only major economy where the employment rate has fallen over the last five years, yet ONS data suggests nearly a third of UK businesses are suffering from labour shortages.
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