The National Youth Agency: Youth Policy
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Youth & Policy, the quarterly journal devoted to the critical study of youth affairs, youth policy and youth work, recently celebrated the publication of its 100th issue. To mark this milestone this series of extracts or summaries reflects on aspects of youth policy and youth work practice over the past 25 years as featured in the 100th issue.
The transformation of youth labour markets in the UK
Bob Coles
- This article examines how the relationship between young people and the labour market has changed fundamentally over the past 25 years.
It starts with an examination of what is meant by labour markets, and how different types of relationships to them developed during periods of high levels of unemployment. This was influenced by, first, the growth of youth training and second, by a growth in post-16 and post-18 education. For the majority of young people the route into secure and settled employment is complex, messy, risky and, above all, long. For others it involves cycles of "poor work" and periods of unemployment.
The challenge for youth workers in engaging and supporting these young people can only be realistically effective if the youth work profession is valued more highly by central government ministers, local authority councillors and professionals from other disciplines.
The implementation of the Every Child Matters agenda at local authority level, especially achieving economic wellbeing, is an opportunity for youth workers to have a major input. They can do this first, by identifying the needs of young people with little or no income, and second, through local multi-agency Children's Trusts and local social inclusion policies and Local Area Agreements, for example working towards practical solutions to tackle this enduring problem and its social consequences.
Bob Coles is with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York
For more information on or to subscribe to Youth & Policy visit The National Youth Agency website at www.nya.org.uk, email sales@nya.org.uk or telephone: 0116 242 7427. Guidelines for contributors available on request.