Andy Burnham warns nearly one million young people not in work or training is an 'economic catastrophe', vowing to shift welfare from payments to ambition and skills.
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01Summary
- 01Nearly one million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK are not in education, employment or training, according to latest ONS data.
- 02Burnham wrote in The Times that the welfare system must start with a young person's ambitions, not benefit entitlements.
- 03The government is set to announce tens of thousands of new youth apprenticeships and placements in construction, accounting, consulting and legal firms.
- 04Alan Milburn’s full review of young people and work will be published next month, recommending redistributing welfare money to employment support.
- 05Chancellor John Healey will deliver his first budget on 28 October, having called welfare spending a 'moral duty'.
02Why it matters
This matters because nearly a million young people face long-term disconnection from work or education, risking higher welfare costs and lost economic potential; the government’s new approach could reshape how youth unemployment is tackled.
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