Why local support matters when tackling youth unemployment

• A recent Work Foundation report reveals the growing challenges facing young people face in the labour market.
• The findings highlight how local barriers can limit opportunities for young people.
• They also reinforce the need for targeted, place-based support to help young people build skills, confidence, and clear pathways into work.

Young people are navigating a difficult labour market, and it’s up to all of us to make sure they gain the right skills and support to access good jobs.

I saw this first-hand last week when I attended the Work Foundation's Parliamentary briefing on youth employment.

Alongside policymakers, employers, VCFSE organisations, and affected young people from Morecambe and Liverpool, I heard about the foundation’s latest research into the one million 18–24-year-olds in the UK who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

What stood out most was the scale of the challenge. Entry-level vacancies have fallen by 49% over the past decade, which is much faster than the overall decline in vacancies. It’s no surprise the report describes this as a ‘youth employment drought’, echoing the urgency of Alan Milburn’s recent interim report on young people and work.

It also highlighted the difference in employment prospects across the country due to factors largely beyond the control of jobseekers, including poor transport infrastructure, disjointed support services, and discouraging recruitment practises.

The Work Foundation is right to call for a more localised approach that empowers communities to tackle these barriers and strengthens the role of education in supporting transitions into work.

From the Growth Company’s perspective, the importance of targeted, hyperlocal support is clear. In fact, it’s exactly what young people told us during our own six-month ‘Youth Project’, which we launched to better understand their needs and challenges.

As we move into delivering the first phase of the Youth Jobs Guarantee in Greater Manchester, we’re committed to applying these insights in practice.

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a 35-year history of enabling growth, creating jobs, and improving lives. We help people and businesses to develop, grow, and succeed through a range of employment, skills, and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health support across the North of England and beyond.

Learn more about the job support that we deliver.

About the author

Alex Howley is Operations Director at the Growth Company. A graduate of Newcastle University, Alex has 23 years’ experience in the careers and skills sector. Starting as a Recruitment Consultant in 1999, Alex’s other roles have included Senior Project Manager in the Further Education sector, Economic Affairs Manager in local government, and Head of Youth Initiatives within Greater Manchester Combined Authority.