The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the nation’s workforce, particularly its youngest members, and it’s clear that in the months to come we will face a youth employment challenge unlike any we have seen.
NCFE recently commissioned a survey which asked over 2,000 young people a series of questions about their education and skills. It found that almost a quarter of the North
East’s 16-24-year-old’s (21%) are concerned they will lose their job during the economic downturn caused by Coronavirus.
The long-term, scarring impact of youth unemployment is well understood. Young people who experience long-term unemployment are more likely to be employed in entry level
occupations when they do re-enter the labour market; and, are likely to suffer a negative impact on earnings over the duration of their working life. Worryingly, 45% of the young people we surveyed cited ‘lack of confidence’ as the thing holding them back from progressing in their careers, which when added to the growing uncertainty we’re currently facing as a nation, can only add to the problem.
Of those that are currently out of work, over a quarter (29%) stated that they felt it would be harder to find a job during the economic turndown. Despite this, a significant proportion of young, work-ready Brits are determined to improve their prospects by upskilling themselves. 22% said they would benefit from additional education now with an even greater proportion responding that they would love to earn new qualifications.
Our challenge is to support young people to train, find and progress in work in spite of the current context. We want to prevent a generation of young people suffering the long-term effects that we know are associated with a prolonged period of youth unemployment.
There is good reason to believe that, given the crutch of the furlough scheme, we have not yet seen the full impact the pandemic will have on employment levels. Upskilling and reskilling are being upheld as crucial to economic recovery, so it is encouraging to learn that so many young people would be open to further education and training.
It is clear that the road to recovery in the aftermath of Covid-19 will be long and arduous and the scale of the economic challenge ahead cannot be underestimated. People will lose jobs, and find their skills are no longer in demand. Whilst no organisation alone can solve the problems we collectively face, by working collaboratively, sharing insights and developing a coordinated response, we can support people into employment and mitigate the potential longterm impact on peoples’ lives and careers.
For our part, we will do all we can at NCFE to support young people to access high quality training programmes to provide them with the skills they need for success in the current economic context. By working together with colleges, training providers and partners through our ‘Go the Distance’ initiative, we will continue to support the region’s young people through months and years to come.
While the challenge we face is undeniably huge, we believe that the further education sector possesses the passion, strategic insight and operational expertise required to overcome it.