Nick Clegg highlights 'excellent report' containing research overseen by Prof Gregg
28 June 2012
The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Nick Clegg
yesterday made a speech to the
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) at which he
detailed the report by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) led
by David Miliband as a key inspiration.
Professor Paul Gregg from the Department of Social & Policy Sciences was a member of the Commission on Youth Unemployment (sponsored by the ACEVO), and earlier in the year oversaw much of the underlying research.
As part of his speech, Mr Clegg said: “Of course, I'm always open to other ideas and proposals. No one organisation or political party has a monopoly of wisdom here. And the gravity of this problem demands us to be both restless and collaborative. David Miliband, who I understand is speaking later today, has done a lot of detailed work on this. He recently produced an excellent report with ACEVO - the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, which advocates a job guarantee after a year on the Work Programme. I can see why that kind of backstop has intuitive appeal; but I am more convinced by the wealth of evidence which shows it's better to get in earlier, helping these young men and women before lasting damage is done: Preventative treatment rather than an ambulance service, if you like.”
“I was, however, very much struck by another insight from David's report: youth unemployment hot spots. Youth unemployment is a national problem but it is more acute in certain places. Maybe inner city areas with high levels of disadvantage, rural communities where businesses are struggling to take people on, former mining towns at the sharp end of industrial decline. Whatever the reason, these are the toughest parts of the country to be young, down, and out.”
The full summary of Mr Clegg’s speech can be found on the Cabinet Office website.
The report by the Commission on Youth Unemployment is available for download and is titled: Youth unemployment: the crisis we cannot afford.
Find out more about the youth jobs hotspot plan.
