Skills must remain top of Gloucestershire's growth plans

I find it horrifying that a recent authoritative survey claims that about one in 10 young people never intend to start working.

Why?

It seems that many young adults are losing hope in what they believe to be a hostile labour market requiring skills they do not have.

Schools please note!

This was a poll of 5 000 young people by Opinium for City & Guilds, the skills development organisation. It found that 9 per cent of respondents aged 18-24 studying or unemployed, said they didn’t plan to start working.

That means as many as 227 000 young adults across the UK do not intend to get a job.

City & Guilds-as older readers will confirm-are a very experienced organisation and when I started as a trainee journalist, their qualifications were often the key to a good career start in many of the skilled trades.

That’s why I respect what they are reporting although I find it hard to believe.

But facts are facts.

And according to the latest figures from the National Office of Statistcis,12.5 per cent of 18-24 years olds are classified as neither in work nor studying.

Worryingly, 30 per cent of young people don’t think they will be able to achieve their career ambitions.

This is why I believe here in Gloucestershire where we have first class FE colleges driving apprenticships, skills must remain firmly at the top of the county’s economic growth agenda.

Young people are our future but much of the career guidance and support they need is sadly lacking.

That support must come from increased government support for our Further Education Colleges and a realisation in Whitehall that we must start the jobs aspiration journey for our young people far earlier—in junior schools-as they do in Europe.

This is why Business West-working with our colleges, councils and partners-are determined to ensure that the Local Skills Improvement Programmes(LSIPs) we are developing  on behalf of government-make a difference.

Putting it simply, we must enhance our skills base by understanding what skills companies need to grow.

It is a big challenge but one which is vital if we are to continue to build the economic growth of Gloucestershire and the aspirations of our young people.