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Young people should have legal guarantee to job or training, says Milburn
Alan Milburn says young people should have a legal guarantee of access to a job, training or other employment support. He argues that government policy should shift from paying benefits towards helping young people into work, while those who refuse suitable help could lose benefits.
Milburn says the government spends £22bn a year supporting economically inactive young people, and that benefit spending is 25 times employment support spending. He wants that balance changed to two to one, which would mean benefit cuts and more funding for training and support. Almost one million young people are not in education, employment or training; the government is expected to respond after the full proposals are published on Tuesday.
In short
- Milburn proposes a legal guarantee of work or training support for young people.
- He wants spending shifted from benefits towards employment help.
- Almost one million young people are not in work, education or training.
Explained simply
Alan Milburn is a former Labour minister who has been asked by the government to examine why many young people are out of work or not studying. The term “economically inactive” refers to people who are neither working nor looking for work; it can include people with health problems or caring responsibilities.
Governments provide benefits to people who meet certain eligibility rules, and also fund services such as careers advice, training and help finding work. The balance between this financial support and employment services affects young people, public spending and employers seeking workers.
A legal guarantee would set out what help young people could expect, while rules about suitable offers and benefits would determine what happens if someone turns that help down. The debate matters because policies need to address barriers to work while deciding how public money and responsibilities are shared.