As new figures reveal that the number of young people out of work and education remains stubbornly high at 946.000 – around 1 in 8 of those aged 16-24 – we are calling for the government to focus funding on support that’s proven to work.

The number of young women who are not even looking for work is a particular concern as it remains over 300,000 for the third quarter in a row.

Our CEO, Iona Ledwidge, said:

“We can’t afford to wait. The government must act swiftly to fund employability support that’s proven to work.

“Being out of work and education for a prolonged period has a scarring effect on a young person’s chances.

“We owe it to this generation to support them in tackling the real issues they’re facing, such as mental health challenges and social isolation. And that support must be proven to result in a job or study.

“The government is spending £90 million on employability schemes in eight ‘trailblazer’ areas. So far, we’ve seen little evidence that decisions to fund schemes through this have been based on robust evidence that they work.

“The same applies to the directories that we’ve seen some Jobcentres using when they refer people for support. Schemes should show they work before they get public money.”