Marc Bolland drafted in to expand 300,000 youth placements
Former Marks & Spencer chief executive marc bolland has been brought in by the government to help expand opportunities for young people and advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on its response to a review of youth unemployment. The move comes after Alan Milburn warned that one in six young people could be out of work, education or training in five years unless action is taken.
Bolland said: "I believe the government is serious about tackling this generational crisis of youth unemployment, and I know that working hand-in-hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success". He will bring business leaders together as ministers look for ways to widen access to work and training.
Alan Milburn review
Milburn was tasked with investigating why so many 16- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education or training. His review found that six in 10 Neets had never had a job, while 84% of Neet young people surveyed want a job or training. He also wrote: "The problem is that for too many young people, opportunities are not growing, they're shrinking."
Official figures showed more than one million young people were not in education, employment or training, the highest level in more than 12 years. That figure gives ministers the scale of the problem they are trying to address through Bolland’s role and the wider business response.
Movement to Work
Bolland founded the charity Movement to Work in 2012 in response to the previous year's riots, and it has helped more than 200,000 disadvantaged young people into work. He also served as chief executive of Morrisons and chief operating officer at Heineken, giving him a business background that ministers are now drawing on in the youth unemployment response.
Some of the UK's biggest businesses will back 300,000 work experience and training placements for young people over the next three years. For a young person looking for a first job or a route into training, the immediate change is not a new legal right but a wider set of placements and employer contacts being built into the government’s plan.
Pat McFadden response
McFadden will receive Bolland’s advice as the government shapes its reply to the review. The practical next step for readers is to watch for how those placements are organised and which employers join the push, because the government has tied its response to business participation rather than a single department-led scheme.
