Event Details

Roundtable at the Conservative Party Conference 2025 that will discuss how the Conservatives can work with employers and the third sector to create pathways back into work for young people.

The number of young people aged 16-24 who are not in employment or education is rising and now stands nearly one million. That represents one in eight young people, and raises a substantial challenge to the Government’s target to raise the employment level to 80%.

Many young people in this situation cite a health issue is keeping them from engaging in the labour market, with mental health a key concern. Recent Work Foundation analysis showed that nearly a quarter of workers aged 16–24 (23%) reported poor mental health, and are 1.5 times more likely to state this than any other age group. Alarmingly, two in five young workers (43%) are worried that their declining health could push them out of work in the future.

The legacy of the pandemic, cost of living crisis and constraints in accessing mental health provision within the NHS may all be exacerbating this situation. However, the quality and security of work on offer also may be playing a role. Secure and paid employment opportunities are a pillar of good physical and mental health. Yet even when in employment, Work Foundation research found that young workers (16-24) are 2.2 times more likely than older workers (50-65) to be in severely insecure work, such as zero-hour contracts or a lack of rights and protections.

In response to rising levels of worklessness, the Government has introduced the Get Britain Working White Paper and a Youth Guarantee to ensure that every 18 to 21-year-old in England has access to education, training, or employment support, including apprenticeships. As HM Official Opposition, this challenge will pose questions for the Conservative Party nationally, regionally and locally. How will the Conservatives shape this agenda at a local and Mayoral level? And how will the Conservatives update their previous Back to Work plans in response to this changing environment?

The Work Foundation and Lancaster University are hosting an invite-only roundtable for policy-makers, employers and third sector organisations to discuss the following questions:

• What employer and Government inventions can work for young people?
• Are there particular communities, groups or sectors that need specific interventions?
• What can be learnt from trailblazers in Conservative led Mayoral authorities?
• How can the Conservatives work with employers and the third sector to create pathways back into work for young people?