Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Employment: Young People

Monday 17 May 2021 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 7 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department of Work and Pensions has launched an enhanced youth offer since September 2020 to support young people's employment and skills development.
  • Ministers regularly engage with stakeholders and employers to promote the Kickstart scheme and encourage participation.
  • Local Jobcentre Plus teams are working with businesses and training providers to support young people's employment opportunities, including through partnerships with charities aimed at preventing NEET status.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Evennett Con
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question is prompted by concerns about youth unemployment, specifically how the government has been assisting young people in finding employment opportunities.

Question

What recent steps her Department has taken to help young people into employment?

Answer from Mims Davies

The new enhanced DWP youth offer has provided wraparound support for young people since September 2020, delivering employment and skills support and training through our youth employment programme, new youth hubs and additional youth employability work coaches. We currently have more than 110 new youth hubs operating digitally or physically, with at least one in every JCP district. We will have more than 140 physical youth hubs delivering face-to-face support as the covid restrictions are lifted further.

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Q2 Steven Baker Con
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question is based on efforts to encourage businesses and other employers to sign up to employment schemes such as Kickstart, which are aimed at creating jobs for young people aged 16-24.

Question

How is the Department encouraging businesses and other employers to sign up to these schemes so that we can create those vital jobs for 16 to 24-year-olds who might otherwise be long-term unemployed?

Answer from Mims Davies

We are doing it non-stop, as my hon. Friend will be pleased to know. The DWP Lords Minister—my noble Friend Baroness Stedman-Scott—and I regularly attend stakeholder and outreach events to promote kickstart to employers. Last week, I spoke to more than 90 employers at an event partnering with MyKindaFuture, a mentoring platform. The team in my hon. Friend's local jobcentre are working with local employers to support those most at risk of long-term unemployment through the new opportunities they need.

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Q3 Karl McCartney Con
Education Employment
Context

The question is prompted by a concern about how the Government can support organisations such as Lincoln College to ensure that young people are helped into employment, specifically in relation to an event aimed at engaging young people with local employers and industry specialists.

Question

I have recently received correspondence from the learning and skills lead for automotive engineering at Lincoln College in my constituency, which is shortly due to hold Autoinform 14-19, a practical taster event that aims to allow young people to spend time in workshops with local employers and industry specialists looking at electric cars, acoustic vehicle alerting systems, diagnostic methods and the MOT test. One difficulty is securing schools' buy-in with the scheme. How does my hon. Friend believe the Government can support organisations such as Lincoln College to ensure that we help as many young people into employment as possible?

Answer from Mims Davies

The DWP's partnerships on the ground with local labour markets are key to these new employment opportunities. I am pleased that Lincoln JCP is working in partnership with the Network, a charity that aims to prevent young people from becoming NEET—not in education, employment or training—and engages with and connects to wider support. Customers will also benefit from a key partnership locally with the DWP, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln College Group, which have created many new opportunities for our young people within the new kickstart scheme.

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Q4 Sara Britcliffe
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question is prompted by concerns about ensuring that jobseekers are fully aware of all the opportunities available to them, particularly in relation to the kickstart scheme.

Question

The Government have brought in some brilliant measures to get young people into employment and I witnessed that at first hand on a visit to NORI HR. We are also hosting an education summit locally, and I welcome the support from our local training providers such as North Lancs Training Group, but can the Minister set out what measures are in place to help jobcentres and training providers to work together so that people are fully aware of all the opportunities available to them?

Answer from Mims Davies

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point, and I thank NORI HR for all its work. All MPs in this Chamber should take the opportunity to work with their local Jobcentre Plus team to support and promote kickstart. Locally, the DWP is working with employers such as NORI HR and also the Accrington Stanley community trust, which Members might have seen on “Football Focus” recently. The first cohort of employees started in March this year in a variety of kickstart roles including admin, sports coaching, youth work, site maintenance and leisure attendants.

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Q5 Robbie Moore Con Keighley and Ilkley
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The question is prompted by concerns about how the DWP can assist local businesses to deliver opportunities for young people through schemes like Kickstart.

Question

Across Keighley and Ilkley, businesses care passionately about giving young people the skills they need for a successful career, and these include Byworth Boilers, an excellent business that offers apprenticeships to help local residents to take their first step on the career ladder. The desire from local businesses is there, but they often need Government help to turn this into a reality, so will my hon. Friend confirm how her Department is helping to give companies such as Byworth Boilers the chance to deliver for young people?

Answer from Mims Davies

I am more than happy to support Byworth Boilers and all the local employers, and to extend my thanks to the businesses in my hon. Friend's constituency and up and down the land that are putting forward opportunities to work with young people. I know that my hon. Friend works closely with the team at the Keighley jobcentre, who are in touch with many local employers including the Spoons Tearoom, Ideabean Software Technology and Superdrug.

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Q6 Ben Spencer Con Runnymede and Weybridge
Economy Employment
Context

The question is prompted by the lifting of restrictions on hospitality sectors, with a focus on how this will support young people affected disproportionately by unemployment during the pandemic.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend for her response. Young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, given the high rates of unemployment in hospitality. Today I visited one of our local hotels, the Hilton Cobham, which has now fully reopened and is looking forward to welcoming the guests who enjoy Runnymede and Weybridge's local attractions such as Thorpe Park, the Brooklands Museum and, of course, the birthplace of Magna Carta. Will my hon. Friend join me in welcoming the next step in lifting the restrictions and invite people to visit and stay in Runnymede and Weybridge, to go to our fantastic pubs and restaurants to eat, drink and be merry and to support—[Inaudible.]— economy and jobs?

Answer from Mims Davies

I think I got the point; we all love a bit of Thorpe Park. I join my hon. Friend in welcoming the wider return of hospitality in the travel and hotel sectors. This will be a vital boost to our economy and local jobs. In my hon. Friend's jobcentre, we have new kickstart roles advertised in various hospitality areas including golf at Foxhills Country Club and Resort, sports and leisure through the RunThrough events team and social media opportunities with Little Olive Consulting, as well as vital local roles with Woking Borough Council and Surrey County Council.

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Q7 David Evennett Con
Employment
Context

Concern about young people facing complex barriers to employment despite overall efforts to help them.

Question

I appreciate all that my hon. Friend is doing to help young people, many of whom will bounce back into work quickly and easily, but what dedicated support is available to help those who face more complex barriers to employment?

Answer from Mims Davies

We have new youth hubs with work coaches dedicated to youth employability, supporting young people with complex needs by removing barriers and continuing support for six weeks after they move into work. Sector-based work academy programmes in social care, construction, and security are running, along with new kickstart roles for young people, working with the London Borough of Bexley as a vital kickstart gateway.

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