Business
Number of young people not in work, education or training ‘a scandal’ – minister
It is “an absolute scandal” that the number of young people not in employment, education or training is close to a million, a minister has said.
The number of so-called “neets” aged 16 to 24 remains more than 940,000, latest Office for National Statistics figures showed on Thursday, which skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith described as “a waste of young lives”.
Speaking to the PA news agency as she visited Mulberry University Technical College (UTC) in east London, Baroness Smith said: “It’s absolutely shocking that we have young people who, at the very start of their working life are not learning, and they’re not earning.
“That is an enormous waste of talent, and really an outrage that young people are being left in that position.
“But it’s also a waste for the future of the country because when you start not in employment or learning, it’s going to be much more difficult for you to get into work later.”
She said the Government is “absolutely focused” on how it can “turn this around” citing the youth guarantee, which is set to ensure 18 to 21-year-olds have access to education, training, an apprenticeship or ultimately guaranteed paid work if they cannot find a job.
“We’re absolutely serious that it is an absolute scandal,” Baroness Smith said.
“It’s a waste of young lives.”
Baroness Smith was shown around the UTC, for students aged 14 to 19, which specialises in technical subjects.
She said making sure that there are “the sorts of courses that will attract young people”, like the ones at the UTC, is one way the Government will bring down the number of neets.
“We’re developing youth hubs, for example, that bring together all of the services, the employment support, but also perhaps mental health support, wellbeing, helping young people with careers advice and guidance,” she added.
“We’re putting them into the places where young people are more likely to go – sports clubs, libraries, community areas – so bringing together that range of support for young people to get into work.”
The trust which Mulberry UTC is part of partners with Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix to deliver a programme offering students extra-curricular activities in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).
Asked whether the Government is incentivising other companies to help get more young people into education, employment or training, Baroness Smith said: “There’s every incentive for the sorts of partners that we’ve seen here at the UTC so Mercedes, the National Theatre, to work with schools and colleges, because you’re giving something to young people but what you’re doing is you’re providing a pipeline of future employees.
“So what we find, for example, in T-levels, and I’ve seen T-levels in creative media, what you see in those subjects is where young people get to have an industrial placement with an employer.
“They get a fantastic amount out of it, but the employer also gets to see the type of young people who they’ll then potentially be able to employ or to give apprenticeships to in the future.”
Business
Pine Labs, Groww & more: Top stocks to watch on April 16 – The Times of India
Citigroup initiated its coverage of Pine Labs with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said that India’s payments fintech is on a monetization improvement trajectory, with leading players increasingly entrenched in respective core areas of leadership. While product, services and distribution build-outs into comprehensive plays will continue across the fintech ecosystem, large players don’t face significant disruption risks owing to: Across-the-board profitability push; rising regulatory costs and compliance requirements; and stickiness borne out of integration into enterprise business workflows. Further, while consumer payments have seen flux in competitive positioning in the past decade, there have been relatively fewer changes in positioning and leadership within segments in merchant payments.BoFA Securities has initiated its coverage of Groww (Billionbrains Garage Ventures) with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said Groww is well positioned to capitalize on India’s retail investing tailwinds and they expect compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenue at 30% over FY26-FY28. The company produces best-in-class profitability with further upside from operating leverage. Analysts have valued Groww at 39x FY28E price-to-earnings. They, however, said that the near-term risks for the stock are a weak capital market performance and the expiry of the six-month lock-in of shares post-IPO.Elara Capital initiated its coverage of Jindal Saw with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 280. Analysts said earnings recovery is expected over FY27–FY28, driven by water, and oil & gas demand. The company’s order book is at an all-time high, indicating strong visibility. They also feel Jal Jeevan Mission spending revival to drive domestic pipe demand, while the global pipeline capex is supported by energy security concerns. Analysts also pointed out that exports are rising, with diversification reducing dependence on domestic capex. The company’s capacity expansion to support margins and operating leverage. They feel the stock’s valuations are attractive, with rerating potential driven by execution and growth.Jefferies has downgraded Indus Towers to underperform from buy with a target price cut to Rs 375 from Rs 530. Analysts downgrade the stock due to site-renewal risks bunched up over second half of 2026 (H2CY26) and first half of 2027 (H1CY27) which could impact revenues and growth. Elevated capex levels due to higher growth and maintenance capex which will impact earnings growth as well free cash flow and payouts. They cut Indus Towers’ revenue and profit after tax (PAT) estimates by 2-6% to factor renewal risks post which stock offers 3% EPS growth and a 4% yield. They said risks on growth outlook should weigh on re-rating potential too.Kotak Institutional Equities has a buy on Ujjivan SFB with a target price of Rs 72. Analysts said that the RBI has returned Ujjivan SFB’s application for a universal bank license, citing need for further loan portfolio diversification. While the outcome is clearly not favourable, the regulator has flagged no concerns relating to governance, compliance or operational soundness. Analysts said their investment thesis did not factor in any benefit from a potential transition to a universal bank. Hence, they maintained a buy but remained watchful of any sharp changes in asset mix strategy in response to RBI’s feedback.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
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