Covid-19: SNP must provide support for young Scots coming out of the pandemic – Miles Briggs MSP

I know how concerned young people are for their futures, with Covid-19 proving detrimental to mental health and employment prospects.

Many young people have experienced some form of decline in their mental well-being during the coronavirus outbreak (Picture: Shutterstock)

The lockdown has hit us all, but for our young folk starting out in life, the lockdown and impact of the pandemic has presented a negative start to their lives and opportunities.

That is why I have called on SNP ministers to urgently bring forward support measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on youth unemployment and mental health.

While lockdown measures have been necessary to save lives and protect the NHS, each lockdown appears to bring harmful side-effects. Youth infomation service YoungScot concluded that the majority of young people had experienced some form of decline in their mental well-being during the coronavirus outbreak.

With the closures of schools, colleges and universities, many young people are experiencing social isolation for the first time. Those experiencing these closures have described a reduction in motivation as a result of the changing educational structure. If they fall behind in their studies, the opportunities to access employment and further education will only become narrower.

In response to Scotland’s upcoming economic crisis, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross launched a job plan to power up the economy. Sector-specific job security councils to help laid-off workers find skilled work and an education guarantee to the age of 18 are all included in this plan. During the pandemic, the UK government has stepped up and protected nearly one million Scottish jobs. The Scottish government must match this ambition, to mitigate the huge economic impact as Scotland enters a recession.

SNP ministers have been slow in bringing forward effective support measures to help the economy. By implementing the Scottish Conservative’s plan, jobs will be created, and businesses will be supported. We need to see action now from SNP ministers to prevent opportunities being lost to this generation.

We know from previous recessions there is a high risk of long-term scarring on young people. They do not deserve to carry the economic burden of Covid-19. Scottish unemployment in 2019 stood at 4.6 per cent, higher than the UK average of 3.9. If SNP ministers are committed to reducing unemployment, we need to see the recovery from the pandemic be the number one priority for the next Parliament.

In a survey conducted by the Scottish Youth Parliament, many young people are concerned about their mental well-being and the impact of the pandemic on their social relationships with family and friends.

In order to get social interaction back to normal, it is imperative that SNP ministers speed up the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. It is simply unacceptable that we have seen Scotland fall behind other UK nations in the rollout of the vaccine.

We desperately need to see a route map developed, to get pupils back into schools and for how the country will move out of lockdown measures safely. If businesses continue to suffer from these restrictions, job opportunities will be even harder hit.

The incredibly sad news of the passing of Captain Tom Moore demonstrated how one individual has been able to lift the spirits of the nation during the lockdown.

As we look to the weeks and months ahead we can be positive, knowing that more people are vaccinated every day. We need to look to tomorrow and make sure that the life opportunities of our young people are prioritised. As Captain Tom said, tomorrow will be a good day.

Miles Briggs is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian

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