Together, we can turn around the fortunes of this Ghosted Generation

I have long been committed to promoting and supporting skills and education. And it’s something we at the Co-op do because it’s part of our values as a co-operative – which go all the way back to the creation of our movement in 1844. 

As we look beyond the pandemic, and at a time when support from the furlough scheme and the Universal Credit top-up will end, it is important we learn from the experiences of the past eighteen months if we are to meaningfully Build Back Better. Every person’s challenge will differ and so too will their needs. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all will be faced by our young people.  

The Government talks about ‘levelling up’ as one of its key ambitions as the UK recovers from the pandemic. We at the Co-op wholeheartedly support that. But we need to go further to really define this. 

To make levelling up a reality, and achievable, we need to start with our young people

To make levelling up a reality, and achievable, we need to start with our young people – specifically, by creating opportunities for them. A recent report we commissioned at the Co-op found almost two-thirds of 13-25-year-olds feel their generation – what we call the Ghosted Generation – are permanently held back by the pandemic.

There is clearly a problem when 58% of young people feel the Government has failed them

This is deeply concerning to hear and desperately needs to change. There is clearly a problem when 58% of young people feel the Government has failed them. They are the future of this country; we simply cannot have a situation where the Ghosted Generation have no hope.

Yesterday, in Manchester, the Prime Minister committed again to Build Back Better throughout our communities. Apprenticeship schemes are at the front of my mind when I think about this. For many years the Co-op has invested in future leaders through skills-based training, and I am convinced that improving accessibility to apprenticeships is one of the best ways to improve social mobility.

Our Ghosted Generation research shows 47% of young people support this as one of the top three most helpful resources for their future as they look beyond the pandemic. This is why we passionately promote apprenticeships, and in particular to the most deprived areas and underrepresented communities through our Apprenticeship Matchmaking Levy Scheme, which has so far donated £4m in funds. They unlock opportunity that young people previously thought impossible to achieve, which allows them to support their own communities. And through this we can create a skilled workforce that in turn generates future opportunity, creating a cycle of lower inequality with every generation.

Levelling up our young people is going in the right direction. The Government’s Skills Bill shows a concrete, legislative commitment to this and I particularly welcome promises for local employers and Combined Authorities to be allowed direct involvement in the development of local skills plans. But we need to do more. Levelling up now, rightly, has an entire departmental focus, so let’s go one step further and work towards a joined-up goal to define the “local needs” that government, employers and UK plc can all cooperate on.

I’d like to see a co-ordinated plan

That’s why I’d like to see a co-ordinated plan that addresses all the factors which prevent young people from fulfilling their potential. To do that, we need a minister in the Cabinet Office with responsibility for young people. Realistically, they need to attend Cabinet, too.

Levelling Up can enable a society where social mobility is a fact, not an aspiration, for our young people. With the right conditions from government, business will be able to reach into and provide skills for communities that were unthinkable before now. With this, our young people do not have to remain the Ghosted Generation.

Steve Murrells, CEO of The Co-operative Group