Stephen Morgan MP has backed the Labour Government’s groundbreaking investigation by Alan Milburn into the causes of high unemployment and inactivity among 16-24 year olds and called for a national debate about why we are seeing more and more young people out of work and training in Portsmouth.
Mr Milburn has used the formal launch of the investigation to set out his ambition to inspire a ‘Movement’ to galvanise communities in all corners of the country.
The inquiry comes as Government launches a major drive to get young people earning or learning, including a recent £1.5 billion investment over the Spending Review period to help hundreds of thousands more into work or training through the Youth Guarantee, as well as apprenticeships places for up to 50,000 more young people.
The Call for Evidence is open until the 30th of January and gives young people and their stakeholders the opportunity to shape Mr Milburn’s report and suggest life-changing solutions the government can bring forward. He is keen to canvass the views of anyone with experience of the issue – from young people themselves to their parents, football coaches and teachers.
This comes the week after Labour has announced new measures to support 16-24-year-olds across Britain. Labour’s investment will pay for new Youth Hubs to be set up across local communities. Youth Hubs are centres that offer lifechanging support to young people, such as CV advice, skills training, mental health support, housing advice and careers guidance.
The package will also provide hundreds of thousands of new training and work experience placements for young people out of work and claiming benefits, and a new ‘Jobs Guarantee’ that fully subsidises six months of paid employment for 18-21-year-olds who are long-term unemployed on Universal Credit.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“I am delighted that the Work and Pensions Secretary has committed hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to the young people of this country.
“But too many in Portsmouth are being held back. Over 1,300 young people are stuck on benefits. Labour has a plan to get Britain working, and this Youth Guarantee will make sure no young person is left behind.
“But I also want us to understand why we are seeing so many young people out of work and not in training or education. It is one of the most important issues of our time and I back the movement to get the nation behind tackling it and giving hope back to our young people.”
Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, said:
“Too many young people are being denied the opportunity to reach their full potential, and it is a crisis we cannot ignore.
“This Government has invested a further £1.5 billion to create thousands of work, training and apprenticeships opportunities, but to turn the tide on the longer-term trend we need to understand why so many young people have been left behind.
“That’s why I’ve asked Alan Milburn to help us build a system that supports them not just to find a job, but to build a better future – because when young people succeed, Britain succeeds.”
