TUC calls for jobs guarantee for young people

Unions have called for action to tackle a “growing crisis” in young people’s participation in the labour market.

The TUC said there should be an “ambitious” national jobs guarantee for young people not in education, employment or training – so-called Neets.

The UK faces a growing crisis in young people’s labour market participation which “spiralled” under the Conservatives, the TUC warned.

The Government had laid the foundations to tackle the problem, starting with a youth guarantee programme to ensure every young person aged 18-21 has access to learning, an apprenticeship or support to find a job, which is being trialled in regions up and down the country, said the TUC.

The union organisation said this should be built on with a national jobs guarantee, which prioritises young people aged 18-24 who have been not in employment, education or training for six months or longer and young people aged 18-24 who are at high risk of becoming long-term Neet.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Under the Conservatives, young people were failed with many let down by the education system and stuck out of work, education and training.

“This toxic Tory legacy has hugely damaged young people’s prospects and for the country as a whole too.

“We know that real experience of paid work is the best way to turn the tide on rising rates of worklessness and that over time this investment will more than pay for itself.”