Adam Bradford: Are parties hearing voices of young?

Nationally, more than 90,000 young people registered to vote on the final day possible in the run-up to the General Election. I wonder whether their voices are truly being heard by political parties.

Last week, one youngster from Barnsley told me: “We need an investment in apprenticeships and 21st century skills. Our education is broken and young people are being born into a system which doesn’t prepare them for modern-day work.”

Another in Sheffield said: “I am concerned about jobs. So many more international students seem to be getting jobs and local people seem to be left behind. I may as well not have taken my university degree.”

These concerns resonate. The debate is so fiercely skewed towards Brexit and dwelling on the tragic events of Manchester that home affairs seem to only take a tiny slice of the election debates.

The cost of living is rising, unemployment remains near constant and quality of life is therefore suffering. Young people coming through this messy system are feeling the effects of years of disjointed policy and a lack of investment in their skills and sustainable work opportunities. Apprenticeships are a step forward, but where are the modern-day jobs? Are we preparing our youth for a world and jobs which simply don’t exist now?

Research from qualifications body City and Guilds cited a lack of proper careers guidance and a generation of youth misguided and confused. Campaigns such as Bite the Ballot encourage young people on a national level to register to vote and use that vote as a vehicle for promoting social change. I fear that a steadfast generation of parents and adults will vote with their hearts, based on tradition, rather than with their heads.

Yorkshire is a region full of opportunity. We are ripe for international investment just as Sheffield’s recent China deal has shown, in the face of Brexit. We are the face of Theresa May’s ‘Global Britain’, attracting hundreds of thousands of international students to boost our economy and contribute to our rich culture in our student cities of Leeds and Sheffield.

We have business innovation centres such as ElectricWorks and Advanced Manufacturing Parks. Even Google is planning to have a presence here in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire brand has never been so strong and this General Election we need to use our vote wisely to secure our futures. Ask your MP what they will do for you, how they will represent you and how they will work with you. Then hold them to account.

Young people in our region feel somewhat let down by politicians. Look at the Liberal Democrats’ record with students. Jeremy Corbyn has a cult appeal with young people, because he is saying what they want to hear. They want a fair society and their ears picked up at the sound of free tuition. I question the sustainability of this, but it’s easy to see why politics as usual is becoming dead.

Young people I spoke to before writing this column said they wished there was a younger age average in politics and that people their age had a more valid say in policies which affected them. Umbrella organisations such as Young Advisors try and help put youth voice on the map yet still, young people themselves feel as though more could be done to genuinely hear their voices in policy design. Particularly around work programmes and job creation.

Elections are a good time for announcing policies and commandeering the public’s trust – we have the responsibility as voting citizens to ensure these promises and values are followed through.

Use your vote wisely tomorrow, Yorkshire.

Adam Bradford, 24, is from Sheffield and is the recipient of a Queen’s Young Leaders Award. The Award, presented by Her Majesty The Queen, is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, and celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in the communities.