Member Article

Is there enough investment in youth employment in the North West?

The unemployment figures are down again which is great news but is it reflected in the youth employment figures? Unemployment was at 1.91 million people in the UK in September to November 2014, down 58,000 from the previous quarter and down 418,000 from the previous year. Theunemployment rate was at 5.8% yet this is for the general population, the figures when split into age groups are more worrying. 16.5% of 16-24 year olds in the North West are unemployed according to the Office for National Statistics This is compared to 5.9% of 25-34 year olds. The question is why is it harder for young people to get a job?

Many are stuck in a loop of not having enough experience to gain the jobs they want, whether they have been to university or not, gaining commercial real experience is difficult. There is a mismatch between the skills that young people have and the vacancies that employers want to fill. Many companies don’t want to commit resources to young people.

However there are some companies in the North West looking to change this trend. Last night Agent, a Liverpool marketing company celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of interns, through its program Agent Academy. The scheme is a fully-funded marketing programme that takes 10 young people on for 12 weeks, training them, building up their portfolio and introducing them to key leaders in business. The Academy has been set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC), fully funded by Agent Marketing Ltd. It was set up to cater to those who have left university with no commercial experience or those who cannot afford higher education.

Programme director, Tom Ledson, said: “ Agent Marketing is a value based organisation and it has shaped the person I am, now I’m passing on that knowledge, it’s about putting our money where our mouth is.University is great for knowledge and theory but it doesn’t get you a job and doesn’t give you commerical experience.This scheme is about bridging the gap between university and getting a job, although it is also for those who haven’t been to university and want to get into the industry as well.“

One of the graduates Vicky Myles said: “Thanks to the training I have had I now believe I can do this job well. I have been given all the skills I need and if it wasn’t for this scheme I would be stuck, not moving forward at all. This is an extremely rare opportunity and I feel very lucky, my portfolio and CV have been taken for a whole new level.I have learnt the skills needed to go into the job market.”

Schemes like this are sadly not the norm, it is hoped that the success of this scheme will inspire other companies to follow suit, and dedicate time to young people. With time and a small amount of investment the trend for youth unemployment can be reversed. The skills that young people need to get into the job market can be taught with the cooperation of companies. While many companies offer internships they are often unpaid and therefore unattainable to the majority of people.

There is not enough investment in youth employment schemes and the stark difference between unemployment figures for the 16-24 compared to 25-34 year olds shows that there is still a real problem that needs to be addressed.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .