Keir Starmer urged to address youth inactivity crisis
SIR Keir Starmer is being called upon to confront the “national scandal” of one in four white working-class boys not engaged in education, training, or employment, according to Alan Milburn, the government’s work tsar. A failure to act could result in a generation of young people “on the scrapheap,” Milburn warns, reports BritPanorama.
The alarm comes as nearly one million individuals aged 16-24 are outside of education, training, or employment, leading to an escalating benefits bill for the government. Milburn, who previously served as Health Secretary under Tony Blair, is set to author a report focusing on this demographic, anticipated to be released in the summer.
Data reveals that approximately 22.9 percent of white British young people fall into the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) category, a figure surpassing that of other comparable groups. Additionally, research indicates that 30 percent of these NEET individuals report having health conditions or disabilities, compared to just 17 percent among other ethnic groups.
The white British cohort also exhibits the highest overall economic inactivity rate at 8.7 percent, in contrast to 8 percent or below across all other ethnicities. Analysis highlights that this group struggles with relatively low GCSE attainment and progression rates into further and higher education.
Milburn stated, “Almost a million young people of all backgrounds are not in education, employment, or training. A generation of white working-class boys are at particular risk of being left on the scrapheap. It is a national scandal. One in four disadvantaged white British youngsters are not in work, education, or training – they’ve dropped out completely.”
He further emphasized, “Growing up in a struggling home, in a town with few jobs and facing health battles shouldn’t be a one-way ticket to failure. It should be the moment the system kicks in to help you get on in life. If we truly believe in a fair Britain, we can’t keep looking the other way while our young are left behind. We need employers, mayors, councils, and governments to create new opportunities for the next generation to earn and learn.”
The pressing concerns outlined by Milburn highlight a significant societal issue that demands immediate attention from policy-makers and community leaders alike.
