Youth Inquiry
The UK Commission’s inquiry into youth unemployment was driven by Commissioners’ concerns about rising youth unemployment and a desire from our joint sponsor, the Department for Work and Pensions to assess how government initiatives introduced to alleviate the situation were working for employers. The Inquiry sought to answer three questions: Who and where are the young unemployed? What are employers’ experiences with government support to recruit young people? What works from the employer perspective in recruiting young people?
The Youth Inquiry (Main Report) (PDF, 523 Kb)
Published March 2011
To deliver this report we developed a comprehensive evidence base (PDF, 860 Kb) building on existing resources such as the National Employer Skills Survey for England, Scottish Employer Skills Survey and the UK wide Employer Perspectives Survey. And carried out extensive interviews with a variety of employers from SMEs to large national employers including our Commissioners and employer representative groups.
This report contains several important messages for government. Our research found that employers who do engage with government support to recruit young people find the offer comprehensive but confusing. There is scope for government support to become more simplified, targeted and visible and to continue providing support for apprenticeships, work experience and internships. Similarly there are vital messages for employers in this report around driving up demand for and investment in skills through industry –led solutions that will contribute to sector growth and more entry level jobs and work based training pathways for young people.
