Success is not for us, say young from poor backgrounds

One in four from poor homes said “people like them” did not succeed in life, a study of more than 2,300 people aged between 16 and 24 by the Prince’s Trust youth charity and the Royal Bank of Scotland found.

Youngsters growing up in poverty were three times as likely to believe they will end up on benefits for part of their life, and four times as likely to think they will end up in a dead-end job.

More than one in six of those from poor homes said their friends and family made fun of them if they talked about finding a good job.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince’s Trust, said: “The aspiration gap between the UK’s richest and poorest young people is creating a youth underclass who tragically feel they have no future. We simply cannot ignore this inequality.”

The research also revealed one in 10 young people from the poorest families did not have their own bed when growing up and almost a third had few or no books in their home.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “We have lined up thousands of employers to provide work experience places for young unemployed people. We’ve launched tens of thousands of new apprenticeships.

“Our new sector-based work academies will offer a new dimension to the support on offer by combining real training, work experience and a guaranteed interview, which will give young people another platform to get into a job.

“We’re determined to make sure our young people have a brighter future.”