Every young person in West Yorkshire to be offered work experience, Tracy Brabin to announce
Mayor Tracy Brabin is to announce the West Yorkshire Promise, a vow that no young person in the region should ever leave education without having first set foot in a workplace.
Every young person in West Yorkshire will be guaranteed work experience opportunities, mayor Tracy Brabin is set to announce today.
Ms Brabin is to unveil her Region of Learning and Creativity Strategy at Bradford College, which will include a series of commitments to support young people into work.
It comes after former health secretary Alan Milburn declared that the UK is facing a “lost generation” over the number of young people not in education, employment or training (known as being Neet).
Ms Brabin will guarantee work experience for young people, as well as pledging to deliver more apprenticeships, skills training and mental health support.
These will be called the West Yorkshire Promise, a vow that no young person in the region should ever leave education without having first set foot in a workplace.
Ms Brabin will say: “Talent is everywhere in West Yorkshire, but opportunity isn’t.
“Where you come from shouldn’t decide how far you can go, and that is at the heart of our West Yorkshire Promise – a fair chance to flourish for every young person, no matter their background or postcode.
“So to every young person struggling to find work, and to every mum, dad or grandparent lying awake at night worried about their kids future, my message is simple – we will not write this next generation off.
“We will guarantee real work experience alongside the apprenticeships, skills training and mental health support our young people need to not only survive but thrive.
“Because you cannot fix this crisis from behind a desk in Whitehall. To join up support around a single young person – and save this next generation from a crisis of underconfidence and underemployment – you have to trust the places that know them best to deliver.”
The mayor chose Bradford as the location for the launch as the city has had huge success in reducing the number of youngsters who are Neet.
Bradford College principal Chris Webb said: “Right now for our students the world isn’t a meritocracy and their lack of social capital holds them back.
“Every 14 to 24 year old not only deserves a chance, they deserve a champion too.
“By guaranteeing meaningful experiences of the workplace, alongside the skills, support and confidence young people need, we can help unlock talent across our region and turn aspiration into real career pathways.”
At the same time, York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith announced that a £1.1m fund to help employers create more inclusive job opportunities has been renewed for a second year.
He said: “This programme is helping to break down barriers for people looking for work and supporting people to succeed in their current roles. It’s providing employers with the tools they need to build inclusive, thriving workplaces right across our county.”
These announcements come following the landmark report from Mr Milburn last month, who warned the Neet crisis was costing the UK around £125bn a year.
He said it was “the most significant challenge facing the country today” and argued tackling it is “more than an economic crisis, it is a moral one”.
The sum, said to take in losses in taxes alongside higher health and welfare spending, is more than annual education spending in England and could rise if the situation worsens, the interim report by an ex-Labour health secretary suggested.
The Government-commissioned report came as Office for National Statistics figures showed the number of young people neither working nor learning has topped one million for the first time since 2013.