Getting Britain Working Again

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 14th May 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

A big part of why I became an MP was for the young people in my constituency. I have a 20-year-old Cornish son, and I want young people to have the choice to stay and work in Cornwall, and not be forced to go elsewhere and not come back. There are genuinely exciting opportunities for good, well-paid green jobs in the renewable energy sector in Cornwall, for example floating offshore wind. We also have a new Government critical mineral strategy, and an awful lot of lithium and other critical minerals under our feet—enough, apparently, for 20% of the needs of the whole of Europe. We also have digital, creative arts and our amazing hospitality sector.

I was a teaching assistant in a secondary school for seven years, and I saw the impact that successive covid lockdowns had on a generation of young people who missed out on the in-person, social interaction and developmental milestones. I know how much they suffered from a broken SEND system for a decade, and I realise how difficult it is to re-enter education after time away, or enter the workforce for the first time under those circumstances. We inherited nearly 1 million young people not in work or education across the country, and Cornwall is particularly highly represented in that. It is so important that we give those young people the skills and confidence they need to move forward with their lives. That is why the Government commissioned the Milburn review, to identify the root causes of youth unemployment and to make recommendations for how we can improve opportunities for our young people.

We have introduced some of those policies to support young people into work, backed up by funding. For example, the jobs guarantee will lead to the creation of 90,000 extra subsidised jobs over the next three years for those aged 18 to 24. New foundation apprenticeships, including in hospitality and retail, will help my area and provide employers with up to £2,000 to support 16 to 21-year-olds into work. The apprenticeship initiative will give SMEs £2,000 for each new employee aged 16 to 24, and the youth jobs grants provides £3,000 for a business that hires someone on universal credit for six months.

I am hopeful that those policies will complement and add to some of the brilliant work that Cornish employers are doing, particularly on apprenticeships. Cornwall Marine Network in my constituency plays a vital role in supporting SMEs in the marine sector to take on apprentices, and it delivers high-quality training, as does Truro and Penwith college in my constituency. Firms such as A&P, Pendennis and Cockwells provide fantastic apprenticeship schemes in the marine industries, and the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation has developed an 18-month level 2 fisher apprenticeship to equip young people with the skills and knowledge that they need for a career in fishing. I welcome the fishing and coastal growth fund, which will invest in skills and workforce development in the sector.

Furthermore, leaders of the world-class hospitality industry in Cornwall are keen to train more young people. For many Cornish young people, a job in a pub, café or restaurant provides a valuable introduction to the world of work, but it can also lead to a good career in hospitality. Cornwall is perfect for a pilot of the new foundation apprenticeship. I am pleased that the Government are transforming the apprenticeship levy into a new growth and skills levy. Some of that money could perhaps be used flexibly as training for employers in the hospitality sector and others who support apprentices, or by funding some of the skills courses at FE providers such as Truro and Penwith college in my constituency, or by looking at the way some of those apprenticeships are funded.

This is not only about supporting young people in their teens and their twenties, because we must also take steps to improve the lives of children from their earliest years, ensuring that a child’s background does not dictate their chances or leave them struggling to catch up. I am proud that this Government have introduced free breakfast clubs, state nurseries, 30 hours of funded childcare from the age of nine months, free school meals and Best Start family hubs. Those are a start to replacing Sure Start, which was a transformative thing for our families. A number of times I knocked on doors in my constituency and met women about my age who were accountants or who had a variety of jobs. They said that without Sure Start they could never have retrained or got that help—it was fundamental.

[Matt Rodda]

Is my hon. Friend aware of the good research which shows that £1 invested in early years education is worth £16 invested later in a child’s life? Does she agree that that wise investment by our Government is both taking the economy forward and supporting families in a meaningful way?

[Jayne Kirkham]

That makes perfect sense. Early years and education are pretty much the most important things that any Government can focus on, and I am so proud that that is what we are doing. The King’s Speech includes legislation to enable the delivery of this Government’s much needed SEND reforms. Parents of children with SEND in my constituency have made clear that the current system is not fit for purpose. I have shared their experiences and concerns as part of the consultation, and I will continue to do so. If young people cannot access education because their needs are not met, it can become harder and harder to get into work and back into society later on.

I recognise that for some people the barriers to employment, education and training can feel insurmountable right now. The Government are trying to take meaningful steps to remove those barriers and invest in those jobs, skills, apprenticeships, to reform and prioritise early years provision, and to address some of the failures in SEND provision. Taken together as a whole, moving forward, those measures represent a real commitment to our next generation, which I am hopeful will benefit young people in Truro and Falmouth, in Cornwall, and across the country.