Employment Prospects

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 3 March 2020.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:31, 3 March 2020

I thank the Member for that supplementary question. Of course, we'll look at all evidence, and this is a very longstanding debate that we've had over many years, as to whether or not compulsion is the best way to secure better routes into employment for young people, or whether the attractiveness of the offer is what we should reply upon. And, every time we've had this debate, we've come to the conclusion that it is better to put our focus on making sure that the range of opportunities for young people is compelling enough to make those young people want to go into the different routes to employment. 

And I think we can claim some success for that approach, Llywydd. We don't compel young people to do it, but our employment rates of young people in Wales are higher than those across the United Kingdom, and higher than those places where compulsion is the method that is used to secure those outcomes. I want the programmes we offer in Wales to be so good that young people will always find something that will assist them to turn their lives from where they are today to where they will want to be in the future. And while we will study evidence, of course, for now, we still prefer that way of assisting young people.