Youth Unemployment

Baroness Paul of Shepherd's Bush Excerpts

Tuesday 24th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

They are all excellent questions. We have worked very closely with the Government in Wales to see what they have done—they did not need a youth guarantee because they already had one. We have looked at all the evidence, and we have worked very closely with the devolved Administrations and will carry on doing so. Most aspects of the programmes I have described are GB-wide because apprenticeships are devolved, and so we are working closely to create a localised offer. We are also working with mayoral authorities to make sure that, where appropriate, things are tailored to local areas and the local economy, because what works in Middlesbrough may not be the same as what works in Truro. We are trying to do that as well as working with devolved Administrations.

The noble Baroness asked a very important question about AI. It is already changing the world of work. To stay ahead of the changes, the Government have launched an AI and future of work unit, which is a cross-government function dedicated to ensuring that AI delivers positive outcomes for the economy, jobs and workers. It is designed to help prepare the UK for an AI-driven labour market by looking at what is driving it and what has happened to labour market practices. A key part of that involves recognising that there are lots of different kinds of AI, but, put simply, there is AI that is replacing jobs but, increasingly, there are also jobs that are working with AI. We therefore need to give young people the skills to enable them to go into jobs where they will be expected to use AI and to look at how AI enhances their job rather than simply supplanting it. That will apply to young people as a whole but also specifically to graduates. Graduates will come out with one set of skills, but graduates of the right age are in the same position as anyone else and we are really happy to help them too.

[Baroness Paul of Shepherd's Bush (Lab)]

My Lords, like others, I warmly welcome the Government’s ambitious new youth employment programme. Can my noble friend the Minister say what targeted measures she will take to address the acute challenges faced by boys? They are significantly more likely to be NEET, to underperform at school and to struggle with the transition into employment. How will these proposals ensure that boys, who are at the greatest risk of long-term worklessness, are effectively reached and supported in the transition to work?

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for an excellent question. We have to tailor this to where an individual is at. One of the real challenges is that different young people have different barriers on the way. There is an issue with boys in some parts of the country and in some communities, about either higher barriers to work, lower levels of skills or, simply, lower levels of work experience. We are aiming to make this available to every young person in this situation. If a young person is in this situation—they have been looking for work and not getting it—we will expect them to engage and we will challenge and support them. We will not simply challenge them; we will give them the help that they need. We will work with them until they get that. Some of them will want to start with motivation, skills and creating a vision of what is possible. Others will need skills—maybe school did not work for them and maybe they will need a foundation apprenticeship or a short apprenticeship course before going into a full apprenticeship. Maybe they will want an employer willing to take a risk on them—and an employer could do that with this support. I thank my noble friend for raising a very important point; I would be very willing to discuss it more with her at some point.