School leavers lose out on London jobs

Young Londoners are less likely to get jobs straight after leaving school than teenagers anywhere else in the country, new research has revealed.

Just three per cent of employers in London recruit straight from school - compared to six per cent in the rest of the country, according to a report by the think tank IPPR.

The research found that despite London teens performing better on average at school than those in other areas, they are struggling to compete with older and more experienced workers.

It also found that young people in the capital were twice as likely as older workers to be made redundant last year.

The IPPR today calls on the Government to give Boris Johnson control over the budget for post-16 education and training in London.

The Mayor has repeatedly told of his desire to gain more powers over London education.

Tess Lanning, from the IPPR, said: “Young Londoners perform better at school than their counterparts outside London, but still struggle to compete with older and more experienced workers. “In the UK there are serious concerns with both the quantity and quality of the vocational training and job options available to non-graduates.”

She added: “The Mayor of London should have control over the budget for post-16 education and training. This would allow a strategic approach to increasing the quality of advice and options available to young people who do not go to university – including leverage to encourage more employers offer higher-quality training.”

The report also reveals that 17 per cent of 19–24-year-olds in the capital are not in education, employment, or training.

Ms Lanning added: “Providing a job guarantee to all long term unemployed young people, backed by an obligation to take up the work, could help to mitigate the scarring effect for the rising numbers of young people out of work for long periods of time or cycling between numerous low paid jobs.”