New Youth Unemployment Committee to hold its first evidence session

This cross-party committee is chaired by Lord Shipley. The members are:

Rt Hon. the Lord Baker of Dorking CH

The Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE

Baroness Clark of Kilwinning

The Lord Layard

Rt Hon. the Lord Clarke of Nottingham CH QC

The Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall

The Rt Hon. the Lord Davies of Oldham

The Baroness Newlove

The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Derby

The Lord Storey CBE

The Lord Empey Kt, OBE

The Lord Woolley of Woodford

The committee’s work can be followed on its website and via Twitter.

This evidence session will be held remotely and streamed on Parliament TV.

The committee will hear evidence from:

• Tammy Fevrier, Deputy Director of Youth and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions
• Tom Younger, Deputy Director of Labour Market Analysis, Department for Work and Pensions
• Sue Lovelock, Director of Professional and Technical Education, Department for Education
• Keith Smith, Director of Post-16 Strategy, Department for Education.

The topics the Committee is likely to cover include:

• Tackling youth unemployment during COVID-19
• Cooperation between government departments on youth unemployment policy
• Engagement with external organisations and agencies on policy implementation
• How the participation of vulnerable and under-represented young people in Further and Higher Education and the labour market could be improved
• Performance of Kickstart, and schemes such as the Youth Offer, Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS), and Sector-based Work Academy Placements (SWAPs)
• The role of education and the national curriculum in developing skills for the labour market
• Promoting technical and vocational education.

More about the committee

Youth unemployment is a longstanding issue in the UK, with rates of unemployment typically higher amongst those aged 16 to 24 than amongst older adults.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, youth unemployment rates were falling; however, COVID-19 has profoundly affected the labour market and economy. Research shows that young people are being disproportionately affected, with a risk of lifetime scarring on their career prospects.

This committee will consider what measures should be taken to protect and create jobs for young people, and will seek to propose long-term and durable solutions to the problem of youth unemployment. It will also examine how the labour market for young people may change due to current events such as COVID-19, Brexit, and technological developments in the longer term. It intends to report before the end of November 2021.