Why Blackpool shows Britain cannot afford to fail another generation

Nearly a million young people across Britain are not in education, employment or training. That should shame all of us.

As former Health Secretary Alan Milburn’s new Young People and Work diagnostic report makes clear this week, youth unemployment and economic inactivity have become some of the deepest social and economic failures in modern Britain. These failings stretch across governments of every political colour and for decades.

The crisis didn’t appear overnight and it can’t be solved with a single initiative. But the situation is urgent. That’s clear in my constituency of Blackpool South, where this catastrophic system failure, according to the report, shows up in the daily lives of young people.

Poverty runs deeper here than in most parts of the country leaving young people at a disadvantage. But even those who work hard and do everything asked of them are met with a lack of opportunities.

I had a paper round at 12 and my first proper job was selling Kiss Me Quick hats on Blackpool Promenade at 14. 

From there I went into the service industry, waiting on and working in kitchens throughout my education. By the time I started my career, I had a strong work ethic and understood the workplace.

But those jobs on the first rung of the ladder are harder to find than they were a generation ago. The part-time work that helped me build confidence, gain experience and earn my own money is now more competitive and less available.

For the past two years I’ve hosted Blackpool Jobs Fair, connecting local people with opportunities. 

This year, the fair was opened by Pat McFadden, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and we had 120 employers offering 2,000 jobs. More than 5,000 people attended – all of them eager to work.

The jobs on offer were a mixture of career opportunities and entry-level jobs, and while we successfully connected hundreds of young people with employers, there were many others who struggled.

That’s why we also had an area dedicated to service providers offering CV workshops, employability training, careers advice, mental health and wellbeing support and guidance on further education and apprenticeships. 

Offering opportunities alone isn’t enough. We need to look at the whole person and help them overcome their personal barriers to entering the world of work.

Every young person shut out of work or learning is a waste of potential. Behind every statistic is a young person who may have lost confidence, struggled with poor mental health or simply never been given the right opportunity at the right time.

In towns like Blackpool, where generations of insecurity and low wages have left deep scars, these challenges can quickly become entrenched. That is why early intervention matters so much. 

The longer a young person is disconnected from education or employment, the greater the long-term effect on their earnings, health, confidence and belief in what is possible for their future.

Having spoken to young people in my constituency, I know that too many of them feel the system is something that happens to them, rather than something designed to support them. 

Whether it is struggling to access mental health support or even lacking affordable transport to training and work opportunities, the barriers can build up quickly. We need to make sure young people feel seen, supported and valued before they become disconnected altogether.

McFadden has recognised the urgency of this issue, and in commissioning the Milburn report, has kicked off a crucial debate.

The report is right to recognise that the causes are complex. Poverty, weak labour markets in some parts of the country, an education system that doesn’t always support people through key transitions, and a welfare system that can still be too fragmented all play a part.

In Blackpool there are brilliant local projects such as The Platform, making a real difference in helping 16- to 24-year-olds find a job or access training and education. They’ve helped more than 1,000 young people reach positive outcomes since opening in 2022. But we need to scale up this work and fund it properly for the long-term.

If we are serious about tackling this crisis, our approach must match the scale of the challenge: stronger pathways from school into work and apprenticeships, support rooted in local economies and proper investment in young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Blackpool’s young people don’t lack ambition. What they lack is a system organised around helping them succeed. 

Milburn’s report helps us get to grips with the problem, but now we must confront it head-on. Because we can’t afford to lose another generation to this crisis.