The Youth Select Committee has launched a new inquiry into barriers to work experience. The Committee is calling for evidence from a wide range of witnesses, including businesses and charities, as well as young people who have been directly affected by these barriers.
The announcement comes as a YouGov poll reveals more than two-thirds of young people (71 per cent) are expecting it to be tougher to find a job in 2030 with 58 per cent of all 11-18 year olds citing a lack of work experience as a barrier.
And research from the House of Commons library has given even greater cause for concern, as recent data shows more than half a million young people are unemployed (excluding those in full time education).
What is the Youth Select Committee?
Now in its seventh year, the Youth Select Committee is a British Youth Council initiative, supported by the House of Commons. The eleven committee members are aged 11-18 and include Members of the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Councillors, and representatives from each of the devolved nations. Access to work experience was voted one of the top issues affecting young people in last year’s Make Your Mark ballot – the largest annual consultation of young people in the UK.
This year, the committee will look at issues including:
The Youth Select Committee call for evidence closes on Monday 18th June 2018 and the Committee will hold oral evidence sessions in the House of Commons in July.
Who can submit evidence?
The Committee would welcome submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including young people and the organisations that support them, businesses and schools.
The Committee is particularly interested in hearing about the differing experiences of groups of young people experience in making the most of work experience (eg. due to ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic background and geographic location) and how these might be overcome.
Submissions may address any or all of the following questions:
General
What does “good quality work experience” look like? What do young people and businesses expect to get from it?
How important is good quality work experience to a successful industrial strategy?
What evidence is there that work experience boosts social mobility?
Young people
Schools and businesses
Other services and organisations
How can evidence be submitted?
Evidence can be submitted by contacting the British Youth Council via email here.
Those interested can also submit evidence directly to Parliament via post to Clerk of the Youth Select Committee c/o Work and Pensions Committee, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA.
Evidence that is submitted will be published on the British Youth Council website. However, the British Youth Council do reserve the right to redact evidence partially or in full should it contain information we consider to be libellous.
If you do not wish your name to be published, then please indicate this when you submit your evidence.