February 2010
Undiscovered: Britain's
lost talent?
Thousands of future nurses, teachers and
plumbers could be lost if Britain fails to help unemployed young
people into work.
One of the largest ever UK studies of young people not in
employment, education or training (NEETs) suggests that the country
could miss out on 19,500 doctors and nurses, 62,000 teachers and
1,500 plumbers, if young people are unable to fulfil their career
aspirations[i].
The Prince’s Trust and Citi Foundation report suggests that up
to 93,000 potential entrepreneurs, 16,000 mechanics and 31,000
social workers could also be lost if youngsters cannot pursue their
ambitions.
Youth unemployment already costs the state £3.5m each day in
Jobseekers’ Allowance[ii].
The YouGov research, based on interviews with 1,046
16-24-year-old NEETs, suggests that while the majority want to
work, the daily struggles they face make it harder to find a
job.
Two fifths (40 per cent) of NEETs don’t have enough money to buy
smart clothes for job interviews. More than a quarter (27 per cent)
fear they’ll get into so much debt that they’ll lose everything,
while 57 per cent worry they’ll never be able to afford their own
home.
Martina Milburn, chief executive, of The Prince’s Trust
said:
Britain cannot afford to stifle its young
talent. We must invest in young people now, giving them all the
chance to achieve their ambitions and become the key workers of the
future.
Long-term unemployed young people[iii] are
significantly less optimistic than those who have been unemployed
for less than six months, according to the report. Those out of
work for more than 12 months are nearly twice as likely to fear
that they “will never amount to anything”, and three times as
likely to believe that they don’t have any skills or talents. Forty
per cent of long-term unemployed young people don’t feel hopeful
about finding a job in the next six months.
Bert Pijls, from Citi said:
At the Citi foundation we believe in empowering
people to realise their hopes and ambitions. The work being
undertaken by The Prince’s Trust to help young people cope in these
current difficult conditions is vital and we are proud to support
them.
The research comes as youth charity The Prince’s Trust launches
a new campaign, aiming to support thousands of unemployed young
people.
The Undiscovered campaign calls for Government, businesses and
individuals to help the charity raise £1m a week to support
unemployed and disadvantaged young people. More than three in four
young people on Prince’s Trust schemes move into work, training or
education.
Martina Milburn adds:
Every one of Britain’s unemployed young people
has skills and talents that could make a real difference to this
country. Only by investing in young people can we ensure this
undiscovered generation isn’t lost forever.
Citi and the Citi Foundation, have been supporting The Prince’s
Trust since 1986. Their funds alone have helped 271 young people
start-up in business with support from The Prince’s Trust.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.
Total sample size was 1046 16-24 year olds not in employment,
education or training (NEETs). Fieldwork was undertaken between
14th - 27th January 2010. The survey was carried out online. The
figures have been weighted by age, region and length of
unemployment and are representative of unemployed people aged
16-24.
[i] Estimated by YouGov based on the percentage of young
people who want to become nurses, plumbers and teachers and on
youth unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics,
Labour Market Statistics, January 2010. These figures are rounded
to the nearest 500. National NEETs figures do not exist, so youth
unemployment figures have been used.
[ii] Calculation based on figures from the Office for
National Statistics, Labour Market Statistics, January
2010.
[iii] Those who have been unemployed for more than 12
months.