Editorial: A conference short on youth participation

This year, the traditional youth services were less on the agenda, although the man some people see as Prime Minister in waiting, Gordon Brown, took the opportunity to champion the Youth Opportunity Fund and youth participation generally. What was in evidence was that the Government sees its 14 to 19 reforms and Youth Matters as complementary policies that must be viewed in tandem, something youth minister Beverley Hughes was keen to point out to delegates at Young People Now's fringe event last week (see p8).

This is the context of education minister Alan Johnson's announcement that guaranteed Apprenticeships for every qualified young person will be his priority in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review (see p2). It's great that young people who want to become apprentices will now be able to. But not every young person is in this position, and that's why it is important that youth work, which can help those young people who can't even think about taking on an Apprenticeship until they have sorted out other issues, is also prioritised in the spending review. Hughes pointed out to the delegates at Young People Now's fringe event that the Government was beginning to understand that qualifications on their own, while essential, aren't enough. "Soft skills" are increasingly important to employers. Many young people learn these skills from their parents, but for those who don't, youth work can play an important role.