One out of every eight young individuals are excluded from educational opportunities and employment. This equates to nearly a million potential futures put on hold, representing a significant loss of young talent.
Joe* was on the brink of joining this statistic. At the age of 17, battling anxiety and at the risk of abandoning his education, assistance from his local council guided him towards the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer program in South Bristol.
Following completion of an employability course and a work experience opportunity at Fixx Bikes, Joe’s self-assurance grew, leading him to re-engage with his educational pursuits.
Joe’s experience underscores the importance of the Youth Guarantee initiative. To date, over 200 young individuals in the West of England have benefited from personalized assistance to transform their lives since June.
Recognizing the need for early intervention, a strengthened ‘Risk of NEET Indicator’ (RONI) is being established as part of an £820 million investment in the Youth Guarantee program. This indicator will serve as an early detection system to identify young people who may require support before long-term setbacks occur.
Initiatives are being implemented to automatically enroll individuals in further education, generating close to 300,000 new skill development opportunities for those on Universal Credit. Additionally, Youth Hubs will be expanded to cover every local area, comprising more than 360 centers offering a range of services from CV guidance to mental health support.
Addressing the root cause, efforts are being made to combat the underlying poverty exacerbating this issue. The Child Poverty Strategy recently launched outlines plans to elevate over half a million children out of poverty by 2030 through measures such as eliminating the two-child benefit cap, expanding free school meal programs, assisting families with energy and childcare expenses, and prohibiting the improper placement of families with children in B&Bs – actions that have long been advocated for by readers of Mirror.
In conjunction with endeavors to facilitate the return of children to classrooms, the aim is to provide every child, regardless of their upbringing, with a genuine opportunity to thrive. This approach views young individuals as the future workforce and leaders who warrant a supportive nation. It signifies tangible national progress in motion.
