Charity says reforms have left youngsters ‘ignored’

The most disadvantaged unemployed 16- and 17-year-olds are being “ignored”, with chances of learning new skills to help them find work “rapidly declining”, a leading charity has warned.

Barnardo’s argued that the UK government’s reforms aimed at tackling worklessness and benefit dependency prioritised young people from the age of 18.

Ministers have been urged to consider alternative education, employment and training options, including programmes targeted at young people living in areas of deprivation, training and qualifications that lead to jobs in specific trades, and guidance and advice to develop employability of young people.

Barnardo’s chief executive, Anne Marie Carrie, said: “Britain’s uneven playing field is causing an entire generation of the most disadvantaged teenagers to become ‘lost in transition’.

“Proof of this lies in the unemployment rate for 16- and 17-year-olds, which has almost doubled over the last decade.

“If the government is serious about solving the worsening unemployment crisis, it must tackle the issue from the root. This is the only way that the rhetoric of social mobility can become a reality for all young people, especially the most disadvantaged.

“Plans to raise the age of compulsory participation in schooling are a step in the right direction. However, the lives of 16- and 17-year-olds will only truly be transformed if flexible and relevant options are put in place which fit their needs.”

Every young person not in education, employment or training costs public authorities £56,000 on average over their lifetime, according to Barnardo’s.