3. Statement by the Minister for Economy: Young Person’s Guarantee

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:14 pm on 13 December 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:14, 13 December 2022

Thank you. On your point about the take-up of opportunities between different genders, I'll look again at that, but I want to be clear about the budget review that we've got and actually starting off the guarantee and understanding where we go, because in some parts of it, it'll be clear. We already collect data, for example, on who goes into further education, it's an easy thing to collect, as well as collecting the data on, for example, those people accessing different opportunities—Jobs Growth Wales+, ReAct+ and other employability programmes—we'll have the data on that. We'll also have some data that will understand a number of other programmes.

But I want to see if we're then reaching people, because it's part of the point about the young person's conversation. You know, there are young parents who are mums and dads, but, actually, we know that there's often a differential when it comes to things like childcare costs and what that does to people's practical ability to access opportunities. So, we'll look not just at who's accessing them, but what we're then doing to try and make sure that opportunities are opened up as well, to try to make sure that there's a meaningful response to the point that I understand that the Member is making. 

On your points about the cost-of-living crisis and young people, we've heard very directly from young people, both through the national conversation that we've had about the young person's guarantee, but also through the Cabinet sub-committee on the cost-of-living crisis. We heard just a few weeks ago from young people—and I made this point, I think, in committee, when you were there as well. They were speaking very directly about their own experiences, about the realities of changes to benefit rules, the reality of the cost-of-living crisis for themselves, and the choices that we hear far too often—the choice between heating, eating, and what that does for their physical well-being as well as their mental health and more general well-being as well. It's what is borne out in every survey of young people across Wales and the wider UK: there is a significant challenge being built up in young people's mental health and well-being post the pandemic, and reinforced by the challenges in the cost-of-living crisis. That is certainly one of the things that we're trying to take account of in what we're doing, because having employment, education or training is a protective characteristic to help support good mental health and well-being for young people. That goes then to your point about fair pay as well.

And, look, when it comes to Jobs Growth Wales+, we're not suggesting that the money we're providing is the only money that should be available; it is a wage subsidy to help make it more attractive for young people to gain an opportunity into the world of work, and over half the people who go into Jobs Growth Wales+ have a positive outcome at the end of it, whether that's going into further work or training, or, indeed, considering the opportunities for self employment themselves. The good news is that, in the initial review from Estyn, they're positive about the impact of that programme.

On your point about the class divide between professional pay, between working-class professionals and others, it would be helpful, I think, if you perhaps sent me a note that I can respond to properly, because I want to understand whether the point you're making is about access to opportunities, where we do know that, for lots of professions, who you know really matters—not just the grades you get, but who you know to practically get an opportunity, whether it's the work experience or whether it's the practical opportunities for starting jobs as well—or whether you're talking about starting pay depending on your own family background, or if you're talking about progression through work as well, because I know, again, from a previous life as well as this one, that all of those things matter. So, I'd want to understand the point you're making before responding properly.