When we started to plan the North Shields 800 celebrations one of the key aims was not simply to celebrate our town’s past but to leave a legacy for the future. And I hope that will also be a priority for Pride in Place, making sure young people feel even more pride in the place they are growing up in.
That’s made harder by the large number of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training.
The number of NEETs rose by more than 250,000 between 2021 and 2024, taking the total to nearly a million. That’s a number which has steadily increased just as the accumulation of disadvantage associated with it has steadily increased particularly in the North East and North West but it’s a concern in every part of our country.
The number of entry level jobs has declined. There are 1.6 million fewer low and medium skilled jobs in the economy, apprenticeships are down and Saturday jobs are a rarity. We need to reverse that decline or we will all pay a price.
That’s why former Health Secretary Alan Milburn was asked to review opportunities for young people. Last week he published his interim report and recommendations will follow later this year.
The Government has already introduced the Youth Guarantee backed by a £1 billion to deliver more than 200,000 new jobs or apprenticeships for young people between 16 and 24 years old. More than four out of five young people say they want to work; it’s our job to deliver the opportunity to do so.