Labour delivers for young people with new future-shaping policies

Labour has fired the starting gun on a major set of plans to open up opportunities for young people, with announcements that will change lives right here in Blackpool.

Under previous governments young people have been told the best they can do is make do. That ends now. Labour is putting skills, education and real jobs at the heart of our future.

Breaking the link between background and success

I was fortunate to be able to go to university under the last Labour government who made sure that financial hardship wasn’t a barrier to working-class young people like me studying. The Tories scrapped maintenance grants, leaving thousands of young people struggling to study without working themselves into the ground. Now that’s changing and opportunity for people from all walks of life is being restored.

Labour is bringing back targeted maintenance grants for students from low-income households who are studying the courses our country needs – whether that’s a higher technical qualification in engineering or a degree in healthcare. The grants will give you the chance to focus on learning, not juggling part-time jobs with studying just to pay rent.

And these aren’t just for university students. If you want to take up a Level 4 or 5 qualification in a local college, you’ll get the same support. That’s recognition that skills matter just as much as degrees.

Raising skills and standards

Our economy desperately needs skilled workers. That’s why Labour is setting a higher target: two thirds of young people will pursue higher-level skills, either through university, further education, or a gold-standard apprenticeship by the age of 25.

We’re backing this with investment. There will be 14 new Technical Excellence Colleges in areas like clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital. These will give you the skills for the jobs that are already out there – and the jobs that are coming.

We’ll also guarantee every 16-year-old a college place if they’re at risk of dropping out, with extra teaching in English and Maths to make sure no one is left behind.

Ending long-term youth unemployment

In Blackpool 845 young people are still currently claiming unemployment benefits in our town and the NEET rate among 16-17-year-olds is almost double the national average. Under Labour’s Youth Guarantee, if you’ve been out of work or education for 18 months, you’ll be offered guaranteed paid work.

No more wasted potential. No more lost generation. You’ll get a proper chance to earn, learn and build a future.

Opening the world with the youth experience scheme

Young people in Blackpool and across Britain deserve the same chances as those on the continent. That’s why Labour is launching the Youth Experience Scheme, giving you the chance to travel, work and learn in the EU for longer than the current limit of three months. This is about opening doors, building skills and giving young people the confidence and experience to come back and build Britain stronger.

New promise for youth futures

These announcements show that this government that takes young people seriously. Grants to make learning affordable, colleges and apprenticeships to build skills, a guarantee of work to end long-term youth unemployment and a scheme that opens the world to you.

This is Labour putting young people first. Because your future should never be written off before it’s even started.