Young People and Work: Milburn Interim Report

John Whitby Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd November 2026 Westminster Hall

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

Every young person deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Where someone grows up, the circumstances into which they are born and the financial position of their family should never determine the opportunities available to them. We have 1 million NEETs, but we should be clear that this is not simply a question of young people needing to try harder. It is about whether we, as a society, are providing the right opportunities, support and pathways into employment. I particularly want to highlight the challenges facing young people in Derbyshire Dales and our rural communities.

Public transport is often limited, particularly in the evenings and at weekends. A young person living in a village outside Matlock, Ashbourne, Bakewell or Wirksworth might find that a job, apprenticeship or college course is technically available but practically inaccessible. Transport costs can make low-paid, entry-level employment financially unviable. Limited local provision could also mean that young people have to travel considerable distances to access further education, vocational training or specialist support.

Any effective measures must recognise and address those challenges. There are real opportunities in Derbyshire Dales: our tourism and hospitality businesses, agriculture sector, construction industry, care services and growing green economy all need skilled and enthusiastic young people. We should be connecting local people with those opportunities, rather than allowing vacancies and skills shortages to exist alongside young people struggling to find their first job. I welcome the steps that the Government have already taken. The additional £2.5 billion investment in the youth guarantee, the growth and skills levy, the ambition to create 500,000 opportunities, expanded youth hubs, apprenticeship support and the local jobs guarantee are important interventions, as is their commitment to removing barriers for disabled young people and those experiencing mental health difficulties. We must recognise that people need different kinds of support and that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work, but there is so much more to do.

In particular, I want to see the expansion of successful local initiatives such as Youth Employment Support Derbyshire, which provides young people with careers advice, training and one-to-one support, and the Unstoppable Derbyshire programme, which helps 18 to 21-year-olds overcome barriers including mental health, financial difficulties and housing problems. Those initiatives demonstrate what can be achieved when support is tailored to individual circumstances. We should build on them and ensure that young people in Derbyshire Dales can access comparable support regardless of where they live.