An ex-chief executive of Marks & Spencer is to advise the government on getting more young people into work following a major report which said the UK risks a “lost generation”.
Marc Bolland has been tasked with convening business leaders to help implement “youth guarantee” reforms, the government’s pledge to ensure young people have access to employment, training or education, and respond to the review of youth employment by Alan Milburn.
The former health secretary’s report said that without action, the number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) will reach 1.25 million, or one in six 16-21-year-olds, by 2031. An estimated 1,012,000 are currently NEET.
Milburn said the UK’s education, health and welfare systems are “no longer fit for purpose” and “there’s a real risk of a lost generation of young people”.
Bollad will advise work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden on the government’s response to Alan Milburn’s review.
He will also lead on delivery of the government’s youth guarantee, which has commitments including providing six months of paid work for young people on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months or more.