The Journey To Work
30 June 2014
Monday 30 June
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has published The Journey to Work: Welfare reform for the next Parliament.
The report was co-written by Members of the CSJ Working Group made up of relevant professionals in third and private sector organisations, including London Youth’s Head of Talent Match London, Steph Taylor. The report aims to inspire the next Parliament to act on a four stage blueprint to improve youth unemployment.
The recommendations urge political leaders to make tackling youth employment their ‘moral mission,’ and propose that a new welfare package should be offered to young people to improve their journey to employment. Policy in practice is outlined as a four stage blueprint which stresses the importance of early intervention to minimise the number of people who become unemployed and long-term unemployed.
We believe that if implemented, these recommendations will help bring about the improvement that is required to successfully support young people overcome barriers into work. There are still almost a million young people who are not in education, employment or training[1] which demonstrates the importance of focusing on the politics of welfare for the current and next Parliament and the great need for this package. Early episodes of unemployment can also have a lifelong effect on an individual’s wages and mental health[2]. At London Youth, supporting young people into employment is one of our strategic priorities, and it is essential that youth employment remains at the heart of the next Parliament. We must ensure a young person’s development is monitored and they are fully supported where necessary throughout their journey to fulfilling bright futures and long lasting careers.
The four stage package to improve an individual’s journey to sustained employment includes:
1. Education for Employment – this stage focuses on intensive coaching and career advice for individuals in primary and secondary school to ensure that they are prepared for the world of work and calls for the joining-up for initiatives that link employers to schools and third sector organisations
2. The Gateway – this proposes a co-ordinated youth offer to replace the current out-of-work benefit system and aims to improve the transition point where a young person leaves education and is looking for work
3. Removing Barriers – this stage aims to tackle the barriers disadvantaged young people face when trying to get back into work
4. Purposeful Progress – this provides additional support to help disadvantaged individuals who have secured a job to sustain this position and make progress when needed
To discuss any learning from our existing employability work, please contact us on 020 7549 8800.
