Connie Muttock, Head of Policy at the Centre for Young Lives thinktank, responding to the Milburn Review interim report, said:

“Alan Milburn’s report puts to bed the nonsense that this is a ‘Snowflake Generation’ unwilling and unable to work. The reality is there are hundreds of thousands of young people not in education, employment or training who want to get into work but are being held back. We are seeing a generation of anxious and isolated young people who are denied access to the pathways into employment travelled by previous generations. The consequences for their life chances, our economy and wider society are disastrous - and should concern every government department, from Health and Education to Transport and the Treasury.

“The Government has made some progress in introducing measures to tackle the NEET crisis, but the number of NEETs remains historically high. Radical action is now needed, and that must include a wholesale rebuilding of the broken systems of early years help, education and learning, and community-based, early, and consistent mental health support. We should not expect a generation of young people to be anything other than angry and cynical as they wait for help, while being blamed by some from older generations who did not face the same kind of challenges.

“Boosting the life chances of those young people, who feel stuck in a cycle of welfare dependency and held back by a lack of opportunity, is possible. But it needs a change of mindset that recognises the scale of this national emergency, and which puts children and young people right at the heart of the Government’s ambitions.”  

ENDS