Liz Kendall to set out Labour’s plan to get young people back on track

In a speech to the Demos think tank in Central London, Liz Kendall, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will today (Monday 4^th March) set out Labour’s plan to ensure that young people will be supported to find work or training.

Kendall will accuse the Tories of having “failed on the economy – and that’s because they have failed on work”.

She will spell out Labour’s offer to young people, arguing that “being unemployed or lacking basic qualifications when you’re young can harm your job prospects and wages for the rest of your life”. But she will go on to say that “unlike the Tories, Labour will not let a generation of young people go off track before they’ve even begun”.

Kendall will say in return for these new opportunities, young people will have a responsibility to take up work or training when it is offered: “Under our changed Labour party, if you can work there will be no option of a life on benefits.”

The speech comes as new figures reveal that almost 851,000 young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET) – an increase of 20,000 in a year, largely driven by the increase in young men who are NEET.

Kendall will outline Labour’s offer to break down the barriers that have resulted in almost 1 in 8 young people out of work, education or training – the highest level since 2016. This will include:

• Delivering 1,000 new careers advisers in schools underpinned by good quality work experience, so young people leave school ready for work and ready for life.
• Providing specialist mental health support in every school and walk in access in every community, tackling one of the key drivers of worklessness before it takes hold.
• Overhauling skills with new Technical Excellence Colleges and by reforming the Tories failed apprentice levy which has seen apprenticeships starts for young people fall by a third. A new Growth and Skills levy will help young people get the skills they need, including basic skills and pre-apprenticeship training if they didn’t get the right qualifications at school.
• New employment advisers for young people in Labour’s new Young Futures hubs, offering joined up, specialist help tailored to individual needs. 
• Overhauling Access to Work for young disabled people, so they know what equipment, adaptations or personal support they’ll get before they start work – giving them the confidence to take the plunge.

Liz Kendall MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, is expected to say:

“The Labour party was founded by working people, for working people. And that core belief - that Labour is the party of work - is at the heart of Keir Starmer’s changed Labour party today.”

She is also expected to say:

“This is our commitment to young people. We value you. You are important. We will invest in you and help you build a better future with all the chances and choices this brings.

“But in return for these new opportunities, you will have a responsibility to take up the work or training that’s on offer. Under our changed Labour party, if you can work there will be no option of a life on benefits.”

Ends

Notes:

• Liz Kendall will be speaking to the Demos Think tank at a central London location on the morning of Monday 4^th March. To accredit please contact press@labour.org.uk

• 280,000 people aged 18-24 are claiming unemployment related benefits, 14,000 more than a year before. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/outofworkbenefits/datasets/cla02claimantcountbyagegroup

• The number of young people economically inactive due to long-term sickness is up by a third since the pandemic, more than doubling since the Tories came to office. Labour analysis of ONS statistics shows that the number of 16-24 year olds who are economically inactive due long-term sickness has doubled since 2010-11 and risen by a third since before the pandemic.

ONS, ‘Annual Population Survey’, accessed February 2024,

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/apsnew

• The percentage of all young people who were NEET in October to December 2023 was estimated at 12.0%, up 0.2 percentage points on October to December 2022. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/bulletins/youngpeoplenotineducationemploymentortrainingneet/february2024

• Apprenticeship starts by age and level in England: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06113/

• Labour’s Young Futures Hubs will be paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools, which includes funding for a youth employment advisor.

• Labour’s mental health offer will include recruiting 8,500 more mental health professionals so people can get treatment on time and provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school so young people are better supported. This will be paid for by closing tax loopholes enjoyed by private equity fund managers.

• Labour’s 1,000 new careers advisors will be paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.