Burnham says youth employment and training crisis is a 'moral failure'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned the UK faces an "economic catastrophe and motivation failure" owed to the astir 1 cardinal young radical not successful education, employment oregon training. Writing successful the Times newspaper, external, Burnham has laid retired his lawsuit for the authorities to "invest successful the occurrence of our young people" alternatively than "pay for nonaccomplishment done the benefits system". "Benefits volition go the backstop, not the starting point," Burnham wrote successful his portion published successful Monday's paper. Later this week, the authorities is expected to denote plans to springiness young radical thousands of occupation opportunities. The Conservative Party has labelled the government's younker employment strategy "a disaster". According to the latest information from the Office for National Statistics, determination are astir a cardinal radical aged 16 to 24 known arsenic Neets - not successful education, employment oregon training. In his sentiment column, the premier curate said this reflected a "generation being denied its accidental to get connected successful life". "This is an economical catastrophe and a motivation failure. And it indispensable change," helium wrote. Burnham said 2 years of Covid lockdowns, societal media that erodes "confidence and consciousness of belonging", an acquisition strategy focused connected the "university route", occupation markets with "too fewer opportunities" and failures of erstwhile governments person each contributed to the Neets crisis. "Today, the payment strategy provides an assessment, a outgo and, aft that, goodbye," Burnham wrote. "Too often determination is nary support, nary connection of skills and nary accidental to get a job." He flagged a displacement successful the attack to welfare, which helium said "will nary longer statesman by establishing which benefits a young idiosyncratic is entitled to" but alternatively "begin with their ambitions and the assistance they request to execute them". The premier curate added: "The information nett volition ever beryllium determination for those who cannot work. But if idiosyncratic tin enactment with the close help, the authorities has a work to bash everything successful its powerfulness to marque that happen." Ministers are this week acceptable to merchandise plans for tens of thousands of caller younker apprenticeships and placements successful the operation industry, and astatine accounting, consulting and ineligible firms. Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Julia Lopez said: "Labour person been a catastrophe for younker jobs. Their taxation hikes and reddish portion person made it harder for businesses to hire, put and grow, destroying opportunities for young radical looking to instrumentality their archetypal measurement connected the vocation ladder." Read the full story at BBC News →