Support is vital to give young people hope for the future
THE UNPLEASANT truth is that one year on, the pandemic continues to affect all our lives. Living in uncertainty is difficult for all of us; but young people have been hit hard during their transitional years, facing disrupted learning, a shrinking jobs market and isolation from their friends and loved ones.
As this generation looks forward, further into 2021, they will continue to see question marks around their education and employment prospects. I know from our work at The Prince’s Trust that it is times like this that vulnerable young people need the most help, to avoid the damage of long-term unemployment and poor mental health.
The transition from education to work can be turbulent at the best of times, even without a global health crisis and recession exacerbating their experience. We must continue to do everything we can to protect young people’s future employment opportunities, while also recognising the potential for a mental health crisis if support is not provided quickly.
We have just published two major studies into young people’s mental health and wellbeing, both of which highlight the priority support for young people must take in our recovery from Covid-19.
IN PARTNERSHIP with the Education Policy Institute, we looked at the factors and drivers that influence young people’s wellbeing as they move from childhood to adolescence, with low family income, bullying and lack of physical activity playing a negative role.
This report made it all too clear the challenges young people face even without the pandemic, and the importance of early intervention, including through mental health support in schools.
The Prince’s Trust Tesco Youth Index showed us the toll this pandemic is having on young people’s mental health and wellbeing, with feelings of anxiety and depression at their lowest points in the study’s 12-year history.
It is particularly sad to hear about the feelings of hopelessness many young people have, with the report finding that a quarter of 16 to 25-year-olds have felt unable to cope since the start of the pandemic.
As ever, it is unemployed young people – and those with few qualifications and little confidence – who suffer an even more negative experience. The report indicates that young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) are significantly more likely to feel anxious or depressed.
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of young people (aged 16-24) in employment has fallen by more than 260,000 since the start of the pandemic. Young people are approximately four times more likely to be unemployed than any other working age group, and we all know that the sectors that typically hire young people, such as hospitality, have taken the brunt of the economic damage.
It must be a priority for all of us to tackle the dual crisis of youth unemployment and worsening mental health if we are to protect the next generation. And it is in all of our interests to support young people into jobs, not just to improve their prospects but to advance our communities, economy and society as a whole. It is a skilled, capable and confident young workforce which will help the country get back on its feet in the months and years ahead.
All of this is why The Prince’s Trust is working with employers across the UK to help young people build their skills and confidence, and support them into jobs and training.
We are working with the NHS and partners such as CareTech to support young people into critical work in the Health and Social Care sector, and we’re helping to deliver the Government’s Kickstart scheme, working with employers like Tesco to tackle rising youth unemployment rates.
WE ARE here for those young people who have faced adversity on the path from childhood to adulthood and now feel furthest from the job market. For those who have no experience in the world of work and don’t know where to start, as well as those who may have lost their job, we can provide a mentor, build self-esteem, and help them reskill for work.
The Trust’s youth support workers remain available to chat online every day. It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of the unprecedented challenges we have experienced in the last year, but together we can be the turning point for a generation of young people who are in danger of losing all direction.
At this time, it has never been more vital for businesses, government, and individuals to come together to stop a generation losing hope in their future.
‘It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of unprecedented challenges’