Labour Conference – From Learning to Earning: Improving Employment Opportunities for Disabled Young People

Policy Connect will host a fringe event at Labour Conference in the Exhibition Centre Liverpool examining the UK’s youth employment challenge.

The event will be chaired by Robert McLaren, Director of Policy at Policy Connect and include a structured discussion with speakers:

• Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Social Security and Disability
• Professor Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford
• Lucy McLeod, CEO, East Kent Colleges Group
• Petra Wilton, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Chartered Management Institute
• Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones, Research and Strategy Manager, Policy Connect
• Councillor Joanne Howcroft-Scott, Labour Councillor for Luton

The discussion will draw on Alan Milburn’s independent review into youth NEET rates and our recent Earning or Learning report, published by the Skills Commission earlier this year.

The panel will explore how government, employers, education providers and the wider skills system can work together to improve routes into education, training and employment for young people, including:

• The barriers contributing to high levels of youth economic inactivity, including how social security policy interacts with employment support.
• How further education providers can deliver accessible routes into skilled employment for young people.
• The role of employers and professional bodies in building progression pathways from entry-level roles.
• How government can align skills, welfare and employment systems to support young people into work.

For more information about the event, please contact Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones at (Rhiannon.Tuckett-Jones@policyconnect.org.uk)