The last few years has seen many people suffer because of the economic downturn. The section of the population that seems to be worst hit is the young. Unemployment is taking a heavy toll on those in the age range between leaving school and their mid twenties. This is all very worrying and something needs to be done.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is appealing to the government to do something to prevent the rise of a ‘lost generation’. In previous generations we have witnessed what can happen if young people are unemployed for long; it can mean that they struggle to ever find work.
On July 5th the REC Youth Task Force released a report that highlights the issue and suggests ways that it can be handled. This task force was made up of people from industry, recruiters, and welfare departments and it was chaired by Baroness Margaret Prosse. It concluded that practical actions will need to be taken in order to stimulate demand for workers and encouraging new forms of entry into the workforce such as temporary assignments and internships. Unemployment among young people is predicted to cost almost 5 billion pounds so this is something that affects everyone.
The REC Youth Task Force does not believe that it will be possible to increase funding for youth employment; the UK is still struggling to get back on its feet. What they suggest can be done is that the money that is now available is used more effectively. This can be achieved if all the involved parties come together to work towards a solution; for example employers and educationalists can work more closely together. One of the major challenges that young people face is lack of work experience. The REC suggests building a ‘talent pipeline’ that will get those starting their careers into the job market.
The task force suggested a few specific things that can be done to help young people. They believe that career services should be reformed to better prepare young people and that ‘technical academies’ should be created to provide vocational training. Efforts will need to be made to ensure that all current government training schemes are relevant to our current needs and that those in school are encouraged to learn subjects which are most needed by a skilled workforce. The REC wants business people and recruiters to have a much closer relationship with schools and for them to also take the lead in internship programmes. They also believe that providing a year long holiday from National Insurance will encourage people to enter the job market. It is also hopped that temporary employment can be used as a means to get people into work.

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